


1933

by Aphilligin



Series: 1933 [1]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Bella is a vampire, Canon Lesbian Relationship, F/F, Female Protagonist, Femslash, Lesbian Character, Romance, Series, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Teen Angst, Vampires, bella is gay, gay af, human rosalie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-10-19 08:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 49,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20653862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aphilligin/pseuds/Aphilligin
Summary: Rochester in 1933, a young, beautiful and optimistic Rosalie meets a mysterious Bella. Everything that ensues is the collateral damage. Part one of a three part series.





	1. The Curve Ball

**Author's Note:**

> This is a work I have been imagining, writing, rereading and editing for the past year and a half. I decided it will be a three part series, part two is nearly complete. We see a young Rosalie, optimistic and happy. She has not met Royce and she has not undergone a traumatic event with him and his friends. Bella is new in town, but is anything but optimistic or lighthearted. She has her own dark past and a monstrous secret. I do not own Twilight, if I did Bella would most assuredly be with Rosalie Hale.

Chapter 1- The Curve Ball

Sloppy unidentifiable mush swished around slowly as Bella idly stared at the mess called lunch. She detested the taste of any human food; each type of human food had its own unique awful flavor. Meat tasted like decay; vegetables were dirt. Fruit was either too sweet, like biting into a stick of cane sugar or it was sharp and bitter. The depression had really brought school lunches down a peg. No amount of bribery could get her to stomach a mouthful of this mystery slop. 

She looked around the lunchroom of her new school, not a single person was familiar to her. The Rochester Aquinas Institute was the newest home to Bella Cullen, “Niece” of the wealthy and talented Dr. Carlisle Cullen. No matter how many times she went through high school, which had been three times to be exact, nothing changed. Same story, different decade. 

Each time there was a group of girls that seemed to take charge, others looked up to them and tried to win their affections. The one’s craning their necks and striving for their affection were the less socially fortunate. These were the Brainiac’s, the blue-collar girls, the jocks and the loners. Bella kept to herself, deflecting the offers to establish relationships with each group. 

She was pretty enough to fit in with the preps, the girls at the top of the totem pole.   
Her first day she had been approached by a sandy haired girl named Lauren. She seemed nice enough, but Bella had been around long enough to see through masks. She shot the girl down quickly and harshly. She thought of the conversation as she pushed around the mysterious mash on her plate.

“Hello, My Name is Lauren!” The girl flipped her ponytail to the side as she reached out her hand for Bella to shake.

“Hi, I’m Bella.” She ignored the hand outstretched. After an awkward moment the cheerful girl retracted her hand.

“You are new here; I could show you around? We have a table; you can sit with my group.” The girl leaned across the table slightly too close for Bella to feel comfortable. “Trust me, you are going to want to take me up on this offer. All of these other people are deplorable.” She said pronouncing each word carefully as she twirled her finger in the air.

Bella clear her throat. She could hear the perky girl’s pulse and found it amusing that she believed she had so much power. How easy would it be for her to take her out, right there in that cafeteria? She thought to herself as the girl spoke.

“So?” 

“I am good. I’ll let you know if I change my mind, but I am not much of a group person.” Bella answered her finally. Without entertaining her more she turned her attention back to her bowl of mash. The girl huffed quietly and returned to her table. 

She had been with Carlisle since he turned her at the end of the nineteenth century in London. She was coming up on her fortieth immortal birthday, but it had felt like no time had passed at all. The world seemed to change and mold around her, but she felt stuck, frozen in time. Day in and day out, she felt no purpose, no reason to do or be more. 

Today was no different, a new school, a new chance to make an impression on the world around her, but she didn’t see it that way. She simply just existed. Her family all felt a sense of purpose, each one of them filling their time with a multitude of hobbies. Carlisle had his profession; he was inspired by those he helped. He was never satisfied with his education or ability to impact his patients. His latest degree was in that of dentistry, making him a DDS, MD and PHD. 

Carlisle’s wife, of whom he met and changed just over fifteen years prior, was involved in philanthropic work. Always working the soup kitchens wherever they lived, working in local programs for hunger relief and sometimes abroad. She was also the local primary school’s newest teacher.

The last and brightest shining Cullen was her brother Edward. Initially, he was turned as a potential mate for Bella, he had become a part of the family with ease and celebration. She had never really connected with him on a deeper level. They just didn’t have that many interests in common. He was brooding, pained and artistic. She was practical, sarcastic and guarded. They were not a good match, but made very convincing siblings. He was the reason for the family’s relocation to the cold and gray city that was Rochester. 

He had a recent bout of rebellion when the family was living in a more remote area of mountains just an hour or so away from Los Angeles. A number of slayings had been gathering some news attention in and around the southern California area, most predominately in LA. The Cullen’s had been following the papers, and after an intervention for their beloved son, they had decided to start over in a new place. Thus, landing Bella sitting in a crowded cafeteria, with a bowl full of food and looks from curious boys and girls around the room.

She had been in school for a mere three days and she had already been approached by Aquinas’s finest selection of boys. Each tried harder than the last, but none could capture her attention. She heard a couple of the most popular group of guys betting on her. They were betting on who would be first to break her resistance. Maybe she would give some poor dorky boy the time of day just to confuse them, she wasn’t sure yet.

By her third day she heard the rumors circulating about her. The small town offered little entertainment, naturally that meant gossip was a must. They rumored on why she came to town, why she was so stand offish, who her family was, why her skin was so pale and whether or not she was dating some college guy.  
“Damn, she looks like a ghost, where is she from?” One blonde boy said to another.

“I think I heard she was from LA. I still wouldn’t mind getting to know if she is that pale everywhere.” A freckled boy responded.

“She wouldn’t give you the time of day, she needs a real man. I’ll show what a real man is.”

Bella had grown callous to these sorts of advances, and her once cordial attitude had been changed over time. She didn’t care to be liked, and she definitely didn’t care to win the affections of any teenage human boy. Though she had not found the love of her life yet, she was certain that if he did exist, he wasn’t at the Aquinas prep school in Rochester of all places.

The Lunch bell rang, pulling her from her thoughts, she was finally rescued from the gossip she hated hearing, but couldn’t avoid. She groaned when she saw the blonde boy sitting in the classroom that was her next period. She purposely went to the opposite side of the room, hoping the distance would settle his teenage hormones. It didn’t. He just couldn’t help himself; god bless the brave ones.

He was up and on his way to her before Bella could sit down. She pretended not to notice him as he made the distance between them. She could hear his heart beat racing as he casually stood there waiting for her attention. She decided to ignore him. He stood over the side of her desk, but she decided to ignore him. Her eyes were set on the book she had opened in front of her. He cleared his throat very lowly.

“Ahem. Hi, I am Mike. I heard you were new here.” He said as Bella looked up. He stuck out his hand confidently, though she noticed a slight shaking.

“I’m Bella. Yes, I’m new. “She said ignoring his outstretched hand. She turned her attention to the front of the room, blatantly ignoring his existence after that. He seemed nervous, his confident exterior was fading, but he didn’t give up.

“So, is it true that you are from LA?”

She slowly turned her head back around, a little surprised that he persisted. She gave him a chilling stare before resolving to answer.

“Most recently, yes. Yes, I am very white. No, I do not have a skin condition. And no, I do not want to get dinner, a shake, the movies, or do anything that allows you to get to know me better. It’s not you, I just don’t want to. Are we good?” She said quickly. She stared at his blank face waiting for his understanding and answer. He looked at her with what could only be shock, cleared his throat and walked back to his seat scratching his head. She silently thanked the gods he gave up.

“Ouch.” A low soft voice said from over her right shoulder.

Bella turned in her chair sharply to speak her mind. She opened her mouth to tell the voice how she felt about her comment, but stopped just as the breath escaped her mouth. She scaled the human with her perfect vision. She saw a beautiful blonde girl writing in a notebook on her desk. The girl didn’t seem to notice her; she still stared at her work. Had she not had enhanced hearing; she would have thought she was mistaken about the voice. Her irritated demeanor carried on as she decided to confront the girl who should have minded her own business.

“Excuse me?” Bella said with a slight quirk to her brow. Just then she met violet blue eyes. Her mind was suddenly struggling to remember what it was she was agitated about. Her jaw relaxed slightly as she let out a gasp so small that only a creature with superior senses could have heard.

The girl that looked into her eyes was possible the most beautiful creature on earth. Her golden blonde hair was curled up into what had been the latest fashion of 1933. Her high cheekbones and defined jaw only enhanced her perfectly full lips. She was innocent; her features were not worn by time. She wore no wrinkles or stress lines upon her face, angelic in a way. She wore the kind of dark red lipstick that would capture anyone’s attention. She was an enigma with her soft cheeks, firm jaw and red lips. She was complex in her conflicting look of innocence and rebellion. The blonde chewed her lip and tapped her pencil on the desk.

“It’s just that, he is harmless, like a puppy. It’s sort of like you just kicked a puppy. An annoying and overconfident puppy, but still.” 

Bella had grown more and more witty in her time as a vampire. Years of self-ostracism from the humans around her had left her cold and sharp tongued. Had the comment about her treatment of poor Mike come from any other human, she would have retorted quickly. This curious human left her blank. She couldn’t remember the last time someone had left her unable to respond. 

Her jaw parted in a dumbfounded look. She had not thought of her composure before her confusion was noticed. The blonde smiled to herself in the satisfaction of her small victory over the brunette as she went back to her writing. Helpless and confused, Bella turned back to face the front of the room. She spent the rest of the class in an uncomfortable silence, mulling over the fact that for the first time since she was turned, she felt vulnerable. The immortal was outwitted by a teenage girl.

It took two more periods for Bella to feel back to her normal self. She chewed on her words over and over, thinking of what she should have said to best the blonde girl. She worked herself up, playing back the conversation in her mind. She thought of the perfect response and what the frustrating girl would have said back. 

As luck would have it, she saw the blonde again on her path to her final period. The girl was at her locker gathering books with a boring looking brunette girl. She locked in on her target; this was her chance. She knew she could outdo the girl with her comeback. She approached the couple abruptly, making her seem unnatural.

“Maybe I’m not a dog person.” She interrupted the conversation between the two girls. The brunette was in the middle of a story, but stopped mid-sentence at Bella’s interruption. She stared at the vampire with her mouth agape. The blonde turned to look at Bella; utter shock filled her face. The blonde regained her composure quickly. A smirk formed on her perfect lips just before she spoke.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Who is this girl?” The snobby brunette asked with a small curl of her lip.

“The comment earlier, about the guy. You said he was a puppy. I was just saying…” Bella continued ignoring the friend of the blonde.

“She is just this girl that sits near me in Lit.” The blonde answered her friend. She turned her attention back to a very serious Bella. “Okay, so we have to go to class.” With that they turned to walk away.

“Is she slow?” The friend asked the blonde as they were walking away. The blonde just shrugged but looked back at a dumbfounded Bella. 

Feelings of embarrassment crashed in on Bella as she stood in the same spot until the bell rang. She decided to leave early, not feeling like being at the school anymore. She mentally kicked herself for even giving this human a second thought, let alone wasting the better half of her afternoon contemplating a response. She was more frustrated than she had been in years. She never let humans get to her, and she most certainly never let them outwit her. She was obviously flustered and could not be more irritated that a human did this to her


	2. The Death of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella adjusts to the hustle and bustle of her new high school. She is distracted and off her game. How dare a human do that to her?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, you are enjoying the story so far. If you are unfamiliar with the 1930's in America, I would suggest looking up the fashion, cars, the city of Rochester and such. I did a lot of research when writing this, and I know I mention things they wear or drive in detail in case any of you get wild hairs and decide to search what they look like. I get into stories better when I can visualize the style and era, so I figure you might too. Well, please continue to review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

“Honey, we are going to go for a little hunt, did you want to come with us?” The gentle adoptive mother of Bella asked.

Bella had been in her room for nearly a day and a half. After the incident at school she needed to take the time to calm down. After her conversation with the mysterious blonde she had run clear up into Canada. She took out her frustration on a few trees in the deserted forests of the Algonquin Park. After she had sufficiently cracked her fists she retreated to her bedroom and had not been heard from since.

When her mother came in, she was as she had been for the last thirty-six hours. She was flat on her stomach, diagonal across the lower half of the bed. Her head was partially off the bed and her cheek was scrunched against the firm edge of the mattress. Her eyes had been fixed on her floor; her mind was numb at this point.

She only lay on her bed, critical of herself and her stupid response. Bella wasn’t one to have outbursts of emotion. No, she held everything in. She had never discussed the way Carlisle had found her, and it was clear to her family that it should never be brought up. Bella had never been the type to express her feelings, always maintaining that everything was well with her. Bella viewed her feelings a burden to her alone. She was easily the most cordial Cullen to live with, so when she secluded herself to her bedroom, Esme was beyond worried. 

“No, I’m okay.” She said laying in with her back to Esme. Her mother eased her way further into the room. She paused mid step in thought, but decided to sit behind her on the edge of her bed.

“What’s going on with you, love?” She asked putting a soft hand on her arm. 

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“We haven’t seen you in almost two days. I know something must be wrong.”

“I just didn’t have a good day at school, its nothing.”

“We could transfer you to another school if you prefer, or you could spend time off?”

“No, its ok, I am really fine.” Bella protested. Her voice climbed in its pitch at her response. A small urgency arose in her at the thought of not returning to her Literature class. She winced as she realized that she had changed her tone, she knew Esme caught it. 

The mother like vampire turned her head slightly at the remark. She opened her mouth to speak, but thought better of it. She kept her thought to herself and changed her course.

“Well, you should probably make sure you go to school then. We don’t need any attention raised on us.” She spoke softly.

“I’ll be there tomorrow, I promise. I just needed a small break.” She said as she reached for her pillow. She cradled and rested on her pillow.

“If there is anything about the school you want to tell me…something must have happened?” If anyone could get Bella to open up, it was Esme with her gradual persuasion. She placed her hand on Bella’s back, soothing her the best she could.

Bella Sighed as she felt herself giving in.

“I just made myself look like an idiot in front of someone. Twice.” She scoffed.

“I’m sure you didn’t look like an idiot. You are so hard on yourself.” Bella lifted herself off the bed to rest on her elbows and swung her head to face Esme. 

“One of the girls literally asked if I was retarded.” She said blankly with a deadpan stare. Esme cracked the slightest hint of a smile before recomposing herself. She had never known her daughter to care about humans’ thoughts, nor could believe that someone get under her diamond tough skin.

“You have never cared what humans thought, what does it matter if you made yourself seem silly.”

“That’s what’s so frustrating. I have no idea why I care. It’s just a human, a stupid, fragile human.” Bella said in irritation. She sat up in frustration and tossed her pillow back in its place at the head of the bed.

“Humans may be fragile, but they are not stupid. They are inexperienced. Much like newborn babies. You wouldn’t call a baby stupid, would you?”

“So, you are saying that humans are like babies. That makes this even better, Esme. I can’t retort against a baby.”

“This is a different side to you; I’m just trying to make you feel better.” She with her hands raised in forfeit. 

“I know, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Bella apologized.

“Don’t be sorry, I feel privileged when you open up to me.” She moved closer to sit next to Bella on the edge of the bed. She placed her hand on the girl’s knee as she reassured her. “I don’t want you to hurt either. Just give it another go, that’s all you can do. Who knows, maybe you two are friends waiting to happen.”

“We don’t make human friends.”

“We could, I see no reason not to. You could use some friends, you have been a loner too long, hun.” She said getting up. 

“Whoa, that was mean. I’m not a loner.” Bella said in a dramatic way.

“What would you call it then?” Esme said closing her door with a playful smirk.

“I…” Bella began to speak but stopped at the sound of her door being shut. “You can’t just end conversations by shutting doors, you know. We are Vampires!” She said with her voiced raised to an unnecessary high volume. 

The next day at school she spent the first half of her day trying to push Esme’s words from her head. If Bella had a gift, she was pretty sure it was worry. She made it to lunch composed, not a single student had bothered her. She must have given off a ‘don’t mess with me’ vibe. She had a way with that vibe, for many years she had practiced her unapproachable demeanor.

Her least favorite time of the day had come; lunch. She made her way through the line for the useless slop. She had overheard a familiar voice, one that would be hard to miss even with human ears. The snobby brunette was two-spots behind her in the line. Following her in line was a dirty blonde girl. She recognized her voice as the perky girl from her first day. Behind her was the angelic demon that had captured her thoughts her the past two days. 

She couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation. It was mostly unimportant, the brunette, of whom she greatly disliked, was named Jessica. She was rambling on about a pair of slacks she was thinking of buying. She had decided that she didn’t see herself as that kind of girl however. Bella rolled her eyes and scoffed at her comment.

“Hey, it’s that stupid girl from the hall. I thought she dropped out or got moved to special classes.” Jessica whispered to the two girls. Bella rolled her eyes again, pretending not to hear.

“What’s her story? I tried to talk to her the first day and she was extremely odd.” The dirty blonde girl said.

“Oh, I didn’t tell you? She came up to Rosalie and me and was all like ‘Um, I’m not a dog person.’” She said in a fake stupid voice. Lauren giggled.

Rosalie. Her name was Rosalie. That is what Bella got from the incredibly obnoxious retelling of her interaction the day before. Without a thought her head turned slightly to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman who had a name. She needed to see her again, with the knowledge of her name. When she did see her, their eyes met. She felt strange and uncomfortable. Everything that she felt was foreign, but she cast out her feelings when she was addressed.

“Hey, I think the retards have their own lunch room. You must have gotten lost?” Jessica said teasing.

Bella shoved her tray down onto the counter in front of her and turned to face Jessica. She moved closer to the girl, making the boy in line between them back out of the way. He moved around her to continue on his way grabbing food items. Bella’s brow furrowed and her lip grew thin. Her jaw tightened as she tilted her head to peer down at the snobby girl. The brunette wavered under her stare slightly; her eyes couldn’t hold her gaze but her body language tried to remain confidant. 

“Do you have an issue with me? “

Appalled at Bella’s forwardness, the girl backed up a half step. She shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to seem nonchalant. 

“No, I just think you are weird.”

“Well, I think you are ignorant and worthless.” Bella snapped back without a second thought. She was impressed that she had her wits back. A small pang of guilt hit her for her harsh words, but this girl could stand to be taken down a peg. Jessica looked at her with her jaw slack for a brief second before she knew how to respond.

“Luckily, no one cares what you think.”

Bella picked up her tray, threw some change on the counter at the cashier and broke from the line. She mumbled something unintelligible as she walked away. She picked a seat a few tables away from where the group of girls had come to sit at.

The rest of lunch she couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation, which at first was mostly about her. Jessica and Lauren shared harsh feelings about her, their immaturity showing in every bit of what they said. Rosalie remained mostly quiet throughout the lunch.

“Can we please just talk about something else?” The human spoke up suddenly.

Bella had almost resisted the urge to look at their table until Rosalie had spoken, then she had caught a glimpse. The blonde was sitting beside Jessica and seemed impossibly bored with the bashing of the new girl. She fiddled with her food; not liking what the school produced either. When she spoke up about changing the subject, she dropped her fork on her tray dramatically, her patience for her friends had worn thin. 

Her blonde hair made a curtain over half of her face as she bowed her head in annoyance after her minute outburst. The dirty blonde known as Lauren retorted Rosalie’s comment.

“You can’t possibly tell me you are defensive of the freak?”

For a moment Bella felt a curious swelling of her interest. Could the human be sticking up for her? She let her eyes focus on the girl from her periphery. The blonde shook her head side to side with an annoyed expression as she lifted her head to answer her friend.

“No, I just don’t understand how you two can make a whole lunch period about such a small conversation. So, she embarrassed you, get over it.” 

Well, maybe she wasn’t going to defend her. The vampire felt her spirits dip for a brief second. Then she remembered that the girl was just a human and those sorts of feelings were below her. Why should she care?

Rosalie grabbed her tray and shoved her body off of the bench. Without another word she made her way to the trash. Bella struggled against the urge to watch her as she passed. The blonde seemed to ignore her as she waltzed by. Her scent filled Bella, giving her a calming feeling from head to toe. 

Instantly, Bella felt uneasy in what would be her stomach, she silently wondered what was wrong with her. She felt calmness and confusion about the blonde and a sense of rage about the other two. Though her feelings were conflicted, she chalked it up to hating them. She was pretty sure that if she had to choose a slip up human, she would pick Jessica. She couldn’t imagine anyone missing that girl.

For days the vampire carried on the same routine. She would keep to herself, only silently observing her classmates around her. The rumors seemed to subside among the guys, but picked up with the girls. The guys didn’t seem to quit trying with her. A polite hello as she entered a classroom or a door being held open with bright intent eyes; she knew what the guys were getting at with their actions. She continued to ignore them, only responding when it was completely necessary.

Every day she went through the line at lunch, listened to Jessica and Lauren gossip, but rarely felt provoked enough to speak-up. She sat in the same spot to pretend to eat her food, and every day she listened for the blonde to speak up. 

Her favorite class was literature. There she could bask in the smell of the only human to spark her interest since the dawn of her existence. If she were lucky, she made it to class first and could witness the blonde walk past her, stealing a glance every now and then.

One particular day, Jessica had passed Bella when meeting up with Lauren in the lunch line. Bella was late due to a brief encounter with a guy on the way, putting her a few people behind the gossip twins in line. When Jessica had paid and turned to find their usual spot, she bumped hard into Bella. Had she been paying attention to her and not the lady handing her a piece of bread, she would have gripped her tray better. 

Unfortunately, Bella was not gripping her tray firmly. The flipped up towards the vampire and splashed a bowl of chili directly onto her dress. The bowl hit the ground hard, causing the attention of the lunchroom to dial in on her. Bella’s hands flew up defensive as she examined her dress. Anger penetrated every fiber of her being. The nasty human that cause the scene walked past as if she had never touched her.

“Do you want to pick that up?” Bella said firmly as she turned to catch the attention of the girl. Jessica turned a few paces away, facing Bella with a snarl on her face. 

“Clean up your own mess.” She started to walk away again but turned once more a step or two further. “Oh, and try not to be so clumsy.” 

The vampire stalked after the human. She scooped up some of the caked Chili from her dress and threw it at the girl. The Brunette jumped in shock when she felt a splash on the back of her head and neck. Her arms flew into the air and her shoulders scrunched as she turned slowly around to face the vampire in surprise.

“How dare you!” The girl screamed with a hoarse voice.

A teacher quickly rose to the occasion and positioned herself between the two. She looked to Jessica first, commanding her to go to the bathroom to clean up, then straight to the principle after. She turned to Bella have her follow her.

Bella sighed in exasperation but complied with her direction. The history teacher known as Mrs. Fig brought her to the student aid office, where she found a lost and found box from the gym lockers. There she was able to find a drab dress from a student that must have gone to the school fifteen years prior. 

Bella protested the dress, stating she could wash off hers, but the stern teacher would have none of it. Mrs. Fig had a reputation of being utterly unbend-able, a real stick in the mud. Her normal tough exterior was slightly softened by the realization that the student in front of her had been a target. Nonetheless, she was unyielding in her decision for Bella to change. 

Though Bella could smell the years of must and dust that had become the dress, she went to the locker room to change into the dress. When she looked at her new outfit in the mirror, she realized it was made for a much larger girl. Not only was it something that the other student’s mother would wear, it was much too big and unflattering. If she were human, she would have blushed in embarrassment.

When she arrived to Literature class it had already begun. She made her way to the same seat she always sat in; her fixation sat in her same place as well. She didn’t allow herself to draw attention to the girl, but she was sensitive to her. She listened for her heart beat, her breathing, and studied her smell. She smelled like milk and honey, and faintly of vanilla. The smell reminded her of safety. She mentally kicked herself for thinking so deeply into her scent. 

About half way through the class the teacher had the students pair up to read a book and perform a critical analysis essay together. The guy next to Rosalie paired off with a girl next to him, and the girl next to Bella was with the girl in front of her. She slowly realized she was limited to the perfect girl that she couldn’t get out of her head. Then the sound of a boy’s heart approached. The air around her was tainted with the smell of rust, pine and dirt. Mike Newton was near.

She heard the gentle clearing of a throat and smelled the scent of body odor as it began to form in the nervous blonde that approached. He stopped just to the side of Bella’s desk.

“Would you like to be partners?” The boy said with a slight crack in his voice when he pronounced the ‘part’ in ‘partners.’ Mike was not one to give up; she had to hand that to him.

“We are partners already.” Rosalie spoke up. The boy twisted his head to look at her in surprise. 

“Uh, okay, um, never mind.” He said as he nearly ran away to his buddy awaiting him across the room. It was clear that his friend suspected he would fail at his second attempt to get closer to the new girl. The boy laughed at him loudly as Mike’s cheeks burned red with a blush.

She looked back at her for the first time all class. The blonde was still watching Mike get tease when she turned to gaze upon Bella. Their eyes met and the strange feeling twinged in her gut once more. 

For the smallest of seconds, she could have sworn she heard the human girl’s heart speed up. She must have been mistaken. She gave a faint smile to the girl. 

“I thought I might spare poor mike from your torment.” She said gesturing towards the boy who was now in his own seat. “Do you want to be my partner?” Rosalie said plainly.

“Sure.” She said making room for her to pull up her chair. She couldn’t help but smirk at the girl’s comment about the boy. She was clever enough for a human.

“I’m Rosalie. I don’t think I ever introduced myself.” She said with a polite smile. 

“I’m Bella, it’s nice to meet you.” She said with enthusiasm that surprised herself.

“Nice dress by the way.” Rosalie teased. If Bella had blood within her body, every bit of it would have been in her cheeks. She grew instantly aware of her awful outfit once again. The girl seemed to sense that the subject was still sore.

“I’m sorry about my friend, she isn’t the best with new people. Well, she doesn’t do well with people in general. Especially new girls, but she goes crazy over new guys. If you are not a guy, you don’t stand a chance.”

“I have to say, I’m usually not as awful as you have seen me. I’m not a mean person; I probably seem like that because of my behavior with What’s his face and your friends. I am usually pleasant for the most part.”

“Well, Mike may have not deserved it, but Jessica sure did.” The blonde leaned in to whisper, hesitating with a small pause before coming closer. “Between you and me, she can be a real bitch.”

“Why do you hang around her?” Bella asked hoping to know more about the curious human. She felt exhilaration with their conversation.

“I don’t really. We were friends when I was a kid and ever since then I can’t seem to shake her.”

“Ah, your own personal stalker. I have to get me one of those. I hear they are good for you. Do they run errands or do what you ask them to?” Bella smirked teasing.

“That would be a servant, two totally different things. Although, I’m pretty sure she would get me stuff if I asked. Maybe I should try.” She laughed.

“If you really want to test your power, ask her to do tasks for me.” Bella laughed.

“Oh Lord, that would make her cringe!” She said laughing. The teacher hushed the two, giving them a look of disapproval. Bella realized she had laughed; she had genuinely laughed for the first time in a long time. She felt warm. That was more foreign to her than anything.

The two of them slipped into a comfortable silence while trying to calm their laughter. Bella fidgeted with her pencil, unable to think of what to say to carry on the conversation. She wanted to say something clever or funny, but she was drawing a blank.

The teacher had made it to their desk with the book they would be reading. Sitting in front of both of them were two identical books titled “Jane Eyre.” Bella let out a small sigh; she had grown up reading the book and knew it well.

“Well, I doubt we will be able to do all of this project in class. Do you want to get together and work on it this week?” Rosalie said.

“Of course!” She said just a little bit too eagerly. She really had no idea what was wrong with her.

“Okay, we could go to your house?”

Bella gulped thinking about bringing a human into her home. She knew her family could keep their fangs to themselves, but she also knew they would be weird. Her family was weird, to be fair, it wasn’t their fault. How could they not be with how removed from society they were? She could imagine them being overbearing with kindness or overly curious about the human girl.

“Um, sure.” She said biting on her lip. Her mental images were getting worse by the second.

“That is okay, isn’t it?” The blonde seemed to be sincere, Bella tried to shake off her anxiety with a smile.

“Well, my family is just a little odd.” She thought of how her family might make her seem even more odd than she already was. The bell rang, and the students began to shuffle out of the room.

“I’m sure they are fine. Every family has its quirks.” Rosalie said encouragingly as she gathered her things.

“Quirks. Right.” She said in thought. “Oh! Wait! Don’t you need my address?” She called to the back of the blonde exiting the class.

“Don’t need it, the old Baudelaire Mansion. See you after practice.” She called out without looking back.

Bella still sat in her chair, pondering her upcoming evening. “Well, this is going to be the death of me.” She said out loud to the empty classroom.


	3. Heathens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cullen's receive a guest in the form of a happy blonde teenage girl. Bella wishes that her family could resemble a semi-normal human family, that's just not in the cards though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reread this chapter just now, I didn't remember how light and cheesy it was until now. I suppose that's vibe Bella had in this time of her life. Things were new, she was experiencing things that threw her off guard. She is not used to feeling this odd way, and doesn't know how to respond. Heck, her family doesn't know either. One more note, I decided as I was writing the second book that I want to start naming the chapters as the title of a song that I feel represents the chapter, or a song I listened to a lot during writing it. I am going to do that with book one, starting with this one. Enjoy!

“I swear to all that is living and undead, Edward!” Bella shouted coming down the stairs after hearing her brother expressing his opinions about the blonde’s plans to come over.

Around the corner of the living room and into the kitchen the two family members of the vampire stood. Edward was a boyishly handsome, tall, slender vampire with a strong jaw and piercing bronze eyes. His eyes seem to accompany is bronze hair. His hair was cut short on the sides but long on top, combed back but styled with volume. He could have been a famous actor with his uniquely good looks, but did not contain the charm to back his looks up.

“What?” He said revealing that he saw no fault in his actions. His jaw flex hard as he held a grimace.

“I’m not doing anything wrong!” She said in a raised tone. Her hands held up in the air. The two of them stood before Esme like two pleading teenagers to a mother.

Esme was a classic beauty with her soft features. She was short, curvy but slender, with chestnut hair in loose waves to her shoulders. Her golden eyes sparkled under her tensed brows, accompanying her full lips and heart shaped face. She listened earnestly, letting each of her children speak their peace.

“Think, Bella. So many things could go wrong...Just a touch, a brush of your hand, what if she trips in your room? Are you prepared to hold back your nature for her? We will have to move again!” He became more passionate raising his hands dramatically.

“We wouldn’t have had to move had you keep it in your mouth. I have a better record than you!” She said pointing her finger in his face. Esme stepped between them, gesturing for them to allow space.

“Oh, we are going to go down that road…” He pushed his chest against Esme’s hand as she shouted.

“We have all made mistakes…” Esme started to say.

“Your eyes haven’t even fully changed back yet! You have the nerve to talk to me about control!” Bella Pushed against Esme’s other hand.

“WE HAVE ALL MADE MISTAKES…but we are a family and placing blame is not what we do. I think you both make valid arguments.” Esme started in a harsh tone but finished with a voice that was somehow stern and soft at the same time.

“You yourself said we needed to blend better. What is more blended than making friends?” Bella said as she stepped back from Esme’s tension.

“You don’t truly intend to befriend this human, do you?” Edward spat through his teeth. He held his ground.

“I don’t know, but I will certainly ask for your permission should it cross my mind again.” Bella spat back with acid in her voice. She crossed her arms in childlike stance and walked away.

“I’m glad you have seen the error in your ways. You should be considering us more in your decisions.” He said back without fully taking in her sarcasm.

“Coming from a guy with red eyes. Go suck on a scamp, I heard they were your favorite.” She shouted slamming her door.

“They are not red! They are almost gold…” He faintly rebutted.

Edward turned to Esme with disbelief. He gestured his hands to where Bella had just been, still in shock of the poison in her words.

“I have no idea what to do about her. She is going to be the death of us.” 

“Better let me handle this one.” Esme said patting his shoulder.

Esme let out a sigh and ascended the stairs towards her room. Before Esme could reach the door, Bella opened it. Bella gave a look to Esme before returning to her bed. She sat on the edge in what seemed like defeat.

“Sorry.” 

“Well, it may have been mean, but it wasn’t untrue. He is a bit fragile though, and I think he means well most of the time.”

“It’s just that I haven’t wanted anything but blood since my transition. I have never once flirted with the idea of entertaining a human guest. Edward has had his fair share of human interaction, and the one time I think I might, he is down my throat about it.”

“I understand dear.” Esme responded comfortingly. She patted her daughter’s leg from her seated position on the bed beside her.

“I don’t know if I could have friends, but it might be nice. I’ve never wanted to try with humans; most of them seem unworthy of the trouble. This life has controlled me for so long, I suppose I just want to have a little freedom. Does any of this make sense?” 

“I can understand how you feel. We are held to such strict standards, not only for our own good but also for others. I think some socialization could be good for you though. Surely not all humans are unworthy of the great Bella Cullen.” She teased.

“We will see how it goes.” Bella said with a scoff. “So far I have made an imbecile of myself.”

“You will do just fine. We don’t just love you because we have to.” Esme teased, patting her leg once more.

“Hey…”

“Well, we don’t, you are very loveable. A kind, beautiful and intelligent woman, anyone would be lucky to call you friend.” She said as Bella allowed her head to rest against hers. As they sat side-by-side Esme put her arm around her encouragingly.

“May I ask something?” Bella spoke after a moment.

“Of course, deary.”

“Can you all try your best to not be odd?” Bella said biting her lip. She worried that Esme would believe she was ashamed.

“Odd?”

“Well, our family as a way of warding people off. I want to make it appear as though we have a normal family. So, no long staring, no hovering and definitely no questioning her behavior.”

“I’ll pass along the message to Edward and Carlisle, but honestly, I don’t think we would be that abnormal. We are around humans often, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll have Carlisle put away the coffins.” Esme stated sarcastically with a laugh.

“This was a bad idea.” She said putting her head in her hands.

“No, no, no. Don’t worry we will be a picture perfect, all-American family. I promise.” 

“Good. Because she will be here in a few minutes.”

“You gave me no time to run out for food to prepare!”

“I knew you would go overboard.” Bella smirked at Esme.

“I wonder if I could have Carlisle bring home something to…”

Both of the female vampires turned their heads suddenly to listen. The sound of a bicycle’s wheels against gravel could be heard from the beginning of the driveway.  
The steady but somewhat heavy breathing let Bella know for sure that Rosalie was there.

“Well, Its show time.” Esme exclaimed.

Bella listened intently to the blonde outside the house. She heard a humming melody as the girl road up and climbed off her bike. She could almost see her kicking the stand to her bike down, and straightening her polyester uniform. Her breath and heartbeat were still somewhat labored from riding her bike as she walked up to the house. 

Bella made her way down the stairs in the blink of an eye. Edward was already touching the door handle, and as if in slow motion she saw his hand turn the knob. She ran full force to beat him to the opening the door. Her body slammed into his side, creating a loud crack that could be heard by the guest outside the door. 

Rosalie stopped with her fist in the air, just outside the door. She was mid motion to knock when the thunderous crack sounded and startled her. She turned her head to the side, curious of what was happening inside the house. She wondered if she wanted to knock, or if she should forget this visit and just ride away. She decided against her best judgment and let her fist land on the hard wood of the door. She gave it two light knocks.

Bella jumped at the door, straightening her hair just before opening it. Her brother looked at her from the floor with an open jaw. He looked as if she had stolen his last piece of candy and then spat on him. She ignored him and opened the door with a smile.

“Hey Rosalie!”

“Hey…” She said in almost a question.

“You look as though you have seen a ghost?”

“I just heard…is everything alright in here?” She said peaking her head inside before allowing her feet to follow.

“Ah, yeah…” Bella said scratching the back of her head as she moved from the doorway to let Rosalie pass. 

“I was just moving furniture.” Esme answered from a few steps up the grand staircase. Her hands were placed over the rail in a posed fashion. A bright smile captured her lips in a picturesque way. Bella was sure that Esme’s smile would be too much for the poor human. It was too much.

Edward had readjusted himself from his defeat and crossed the room proudly. He came to introduce himself, his face ever stoic.

“Hello, Rosalie. I’m Edward, Bella’s older brother. I have heard you have a project?”

“Yes, hello. Pleased to meet you.” She said with a charming smile and an outstretched hand. Edward looked at the hand for a brief moment but did not offer his hand in return. He let his upper lip rise slightly in what could be perceived as a scowl. In an instant he caught himself, his became expression unreadable once again.

Rosalie lowered her hand after she was sure he was not going to complete her gesture. She gave Bella an uncomfortable smile. Bella smiled back, unsure of what to do next. An uncomfortable silence fell across the room as the three vampires looked on at the blonde like statues.

“Okay…Well, did you want to show me your room?” She said trying to get out of the tall vampire’s stare.

“Oh, but I didn’t introduce myself, I am Esme Dear. I am Bella’s mother! I would have had something prepared for you to snack on had Bella informed me of your study session sooner.” She said in a tone that only a mother could have.

“Oh, that’s alright, I ate before practice.” She said with charm that could warm even Edward’s dead cold heart.

“Is that right? I see you are a cheerleader. How fantastic! I am always amazed that your kind are comfortable with throwing each other in the air, with how fragile you are.” Esme said with a bright-toothed smile. An awkward silence filled the air; Rosalie smiled back but was at a loss for what to say. 

“Right. Mom, remember the talk we had? You are defiantly doing it right now.” Bella said with a bit of attitude. “C’mon Rosalie, let’s go to my room.” 

In one fluid movement Bella scooped up Rosalie’s arm through hers and started leading her up the stairs. Edward cleared his throat in protest of her touch. Bella gave him a look and whispered under her breath, too low for the human to hear.

“I’m touching her shirt. Back off.”


	4. Wagon Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are slowly starting to develop between our two women. They may not see it, but their chemistry is there. Its a budding friendship at this point, but we know that wont last. They were meant to be more. Bella's family try hard to mimic a normal american family, but fail miserably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song this chapter is named for is a bit of an odd choice for me. The chorus seems fitting and it is an excellent song, even though the genre is not usually up my alley. I hope you are enjoying this story as much as me, its light and fun. I would say its a good way for them to start off, if they only knew what was ahead of them.

“You have the neatest room I’ve ever seen.” Rosalie exclaimed from the doorway of the bedroom.

“Is it? I guess I have too much free time.” She said still holding the doorknob. Rosalie comfortably walked in her room and sat at the chair of her vanity. She let her bag fall off her shoulder to the floor between her legs. She gave herself a look in the mirror, but turned quickly to face Bella again. She didn’t seem to linger on her own reflection.

“So, your mom is really young, or she has amazing facial cream.” She said looking to Bella with a questioning expression. Bella took a second to walk over to her bed before answering. She sat down on the end, thinking of her rehearsed answer. It felt odd to lie to her new friend, but what else could she do?

“She is my adoptive mother. My mother was like an older sister to her. I had no other family so she took me in.” She said with a polite smile.

“Oh, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s ok, really.” A silence filled the awkward space between them. “Well, shall we dive into this project?” 

“Of course. I have never read it, but I will have some time this week to do it. I’m a pretty fast reader; I’ll be able to start dissecting it. Had you ever read it before?”

“I think I have maybe once or so. I could probably start working on it tonight.”

“You think you have read it?” Rosalie said in laughter. She pulled out a pencil and notebook from her bag to begin taking notes.

“I guess I read a lot.” Bella said, unsure of how to act around the blonde. She was nervous that she would slip and let some piece of herself out. She had to remind herself of what a normal seventeen-year-old would say each time she spoke. The entire act was exhausting, but well worth it to have the company.

“Well, you can focus on the character of Jane and all. I can think into the themes in the story? That’s a good start. We could meet again next week?” The blonde said while writing notes. She looked up after she finished, tapping the pencil to her cheek as she thought for a minute. “Where are you from anyways? You have a small accent.”

“I’m originally from London, but I was a kid then. Most people don’t notice.” Bella felt pleasantly surprised that the girl picked up on what was left of her pre vampire accent. 

“Well, you hardly speak at all in class, so I could see how most people don’t notice. I went to England with my family for a summer when I was twelve. I have an aunt who lives there. It’s beautiful but very rainy. That’s mostly what I remember, aside from the funny accent they all share.” She waved her pencil in the air as she spoke, using it to gesture.

“You think it’s funny?” Bella said feeling self-conscious. She would be blushing if she could.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that…I just meant it was different from what I am used to. I actually really love it. You should talk more, I’m sure others at our school would love it too.” She said with a small blush. Suddenly Bella didn’t feel so bad, she was enamored with the way the blonde blushed. She noticed how it seemed to spread throughout her cheeks like a drop of dye on clothe.

“I see, maybe I will then!” She smiled. 

“So, I guess this almost pointless if we both need to read the story. I guess it’s still good to get a head start on this. I mean, since we have to present this out loud to the class. Do you want to do the talking or me?”

“You can if you want to, I don’t like talking in front of large crowds.” Bella lied; she had no problem with it. She was naturally quiet, but that was because she mostly didn’t like humans, until Rosalie. She just wanted to hear Rosalie speak and possibly get a glimpse of her blush again.

She let her head sink a little when she heard footsteps approaching the door. She knew who it was and he wasn’t exactly welcome while her classmate was over. A small knock at the door allowed her to speak up.

“We are busy.”

“Can I come in?” Edward said from behind the door.

“Sure.” She said with a sigh. He opened the door with the next instant. He let his right shoulder hold his weight against the frame in a relaxed way.

“Everything going alright?” He asked innocently.

“Yes, we are working on our project.” Bella said with a subtle sharpness.

“Ah, Well, Mom is at the store. She left just a few minutes ago and wanted me to let you know she is making Spaghetti and salad for dinner.” He had a hard time holding back from showing his disgust. “You are invited, Rosalie.”

“She told her she ate before practice.” Bella said.

“I would love to stay for dinner. I love Spaghetti.” Rosalie interrupted Bella.

“Great. It will be ready in about forty-five minutes.” He said as he turned to walk out.

Bella did her best to be natural, but the blonde had a power over her. She thought maybe that she reminded her of a girl she went to school with, maybe someone who intimidated her. She couldn’t place who it was though. She did her best to be more natural, and by the time dinner rolled around she was. 

The two of them didn’t talk about the project anymore, but instead about the town she had just moved to, about the school and Rosalie’s cheerleading. She listened to her talk about how she had beaten out this other girl for captain and that she had to spend more time involved in planning now. Bella couldn’t understand why anyone would want the responsibility of captain, but she didn’t voice that opinion. Instead she listened, and when it seemed like the girl was done talking, she asked her another well thought out question.

When it came time for dinner Rosalie met the patriarch of the family, Carlisle. He was gracious and polite. His youthful features complimented Esme as he stood next to her. His blonde hair resembled Rosalie’s more than Bella or Edwards, making him look more familial to her rather than the other vampires. He had full cheeks and a straight thin nose; and his smiled pronounced a dimple in his cheek. He was handsome in his own way, but so were all of the Cullen’s.

The family sat down to eat, each one of them faking excitement over the spaghetti except for Edward who remained mostly silent. He eyed the food like he was eyeing a dead mouse he had just found on the table.

Rosalie sat next to Bella with genuine happiness over the food she was about to eat. Her mother seldom let her eat food with so much starch. She did her best to control her portion size, trying to maintain a ladylike appearance. 

“Aren’t you going to mention the meal your mother worked hard to make?” Carlisle spoke to Edward under his breath.

“What do you expect? I’m not happy that I am going to spend the next 3 hours puking up small bits of this disgusting slop.” Edward answered too low for human ears.

“Humans love this sort of thing. Make an effort for your sister.” Esme scolded him in a whisper.

“You are truly spoiling me Mrs. Cullen. Thank you for inviting me into your home.” Rosalie broke what she believed to be silence.

“Yeah, you’re welcome for the invite.” Edward whispered sarcastically.

“Shut up and fake it. God, you are always so difficult.” Bella snapped almost too loudly.

“What was that?” Rosalie leaned in a little thinking Bella had whispered to her.

“Oh, um I was just humming. You know ‘mmm mmm’.” She said stupidly. Mentally slapping herself for how stupid she sounded.

“Oh, well, yes this is delicious Mrs. Cullen.” She said taking a bite bigger than any of the Cullen’s would have dared to try.

“Thank you dear.” Esme said taking a baby sized bite. She was better than Edward at keeping a pleasant exterior.

“So, do you always eat dinner as a family?” The human inquired, making a small smirk appear on Carlisle and Esme’s faces as the exchanged a look.

“Not all of the time, but we try our best.” Carlisle responded.

“You are a doctor, new at the hospital, right?” She asked politely.

“Yes I am. My position there brought us to this nice town. I must say it is nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of LA.” He said taking a bite.

“You are from Los Angeles?”

“Yes, most recently. I have dragged the family around a little bit unfortunately. They are good troopers about it though. I tend to go where there is need. You wouldn’t happen to be John Hale’s girl, would you?”

“I most certainly am. How did you know?”

“He helped me when I set up a couple accounts at the bank. I appreciated his help with all of my complicated requests. Good man. Send him my regards, will you?” 

“I will next time I see him. He left for another trip just this week. He is usually gone for a while. I think this trip is about five weeks. “ 

“That must be hard on you all.”

“It used to be; I’m used to it. It’s good for him to be needed, we are just thankful he was able to keep his job after ’29.”

“Yes, I was also thankful to be in a profession with such a high demand.”

“Do you mind me asking how old you are, you can’t be long out of medical school?” She asked boldly. Edward dropped his fork harshly on the plate just before her question was finished. Bella shot him a look of annoyance.

“I am 34, and thank you for the compliment. I finished my studies a little sooner than most.” He said in truth, but remained vague as to not lie. He always tried his hardest not to lie about his circumstances. Though it was needed, he felt it unnecessary with well thought out words.

“So, Rosalie, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?” Esme asked.

“Sometimes I feel as though I don’t know what that is! Free time….hmmm, I suppose I enjoy movies and tinkering with projects.”

“Projects?” She questioned.

“Well, I like fixing things. Its’ more of a bother to my mother than help sometimes. I am fascinated with how things work, how they tick. I took our radio apart once to try to figure it out, that sent mother through the roof.” She laughed. Bella felt light headed hearing her laugh; it was pleasant like a song she wanted to hear over and over again.

“A bit of a detective then.” Edward said still looking at his own plate. He shuffled the noodles around, only taking small bites when he felt Rosalie’s eyes on him.

“I suppose, I just like knowing how things work.” 

“That is a skill and curiosity that most don’t have. Do you plan to go to school past secondary?” Carlisle said, letting his English roots show a little.

“Probably not. I am taking charm school lessons to prepare to find a husband to call my own. I will probably get married and have his children. That’s the plan, should I be able to find a man.” She said honestly.

“Shame.” Bella said in a low voice. She looked up when she realized she was heard. Rosalie was giving her a curious look. “I don’t mean any harm. It’s just that you seem smart and curious. It seems like university might be more fulfilling to you. Not everyone has a knack for engineering.” 

“I don’t believe that marriage and bearing children is unfulfilling. In fact, I believe it’s the highest calling a woman can have. I don’t want to end up old and alone.” She argued.

“It is a good calling, dear. Each person has their own path, neither are wrong.” Esme interjected.

“I really didn’t mean any harm.” Bella said feeling nervous that she had upset the blonde. The room fell silent for a few moments before Edward let a grin pull at his lips. He still did not look up from his food, but decided to break the silence.

“So, do you like to hunt?”

“Edward.” Esme scolded lightly.

“It’s just a question.” He shrugged.

“She probably doesn’t go trudging through the woods like you two.” She looked at him and Carlisle.

“Actually, I did used to go with father. I miss it sometimes.”

“Really?” Bella said a little surprised.

“Yeah, he always wanted a boy.” She said with a small shrug.

“So, this project, is it done or should we expect to see more of you around?” Esme questioned sweetly.

“I will be back next Tuesday, actually. We will be working on this for a few weeks. I can be out of your hair before dinner though, don’t worry.” She answered.

“Don’t be absurd, I will plan to have dinner ready after you two finish. We would be glad to have you again.”

“Well, Thank you Mrs. Cullen. This really was delicious.”

Rosalie tried to help bring plates into the kitchen but Esme all but scolded her not too. She did her best to be on her best behavior, Hale’s were always polite in social settings after all. 

Since it was dark out when dinner was finished, Bella offered to take Rosalie home, to her surprise. Rosalie had not expected her to be able to drive, nor be allowed to use a car. Bella didn’t tell her that she actually owned the car, she let her believe it was Carlisle’s and that she was just allowed to use it. She guessed that human families didn’t have as much cash nor purpose for more than one car. 

To Bella’s dismay, Edward also insisted he come. Just for the girl’s safety, it was nighttime after all, and Bella was a supposed fragile human. He rode in the back seat the whole way. The bike had been strapped to the back fender. 

When she pulled up to the house, Edward got out to take the bike off while Bella tried to best end the night. Did humans hug goodbye? She would see the girl the next day. She couldn’t figure out what the proper protocol was but she decided to follow Rosalie’s lead. 

She was deep in thought about how to say goodbye when Rosalie laughed.

“What?” Bella asked.

“You look like you are trying to do an algebraic equation in your head.”

“Oh, I was just…I don’t know.” Bella faked confusion, hoping the blonde would think she had just zoned out.

“Well, anyways, thank you again. I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” She said as she pulled the handle of her door.

“Of course. Good night Rosalie.”

After a quick wave and goodbye, Rosalie was settled into her own home. Bella waited for her to get inside before she left, she thought it seemed right. She did want the human safe after all. 

“So, what did you think?” She asked once they were on the road again.

“I think you are playing a dangerous game.” He said quickly.

“I know that, I mean about her.” She said awkwardly.

“What do you mean?”

“Ugh, never mind.”

“No, are you asking me my opinion on the human?” He asked.

“Yeah, what did you think about her?” She asked.

“She is nice, very curious. Mostly just fragile.” He said as he idly tapped his fingers on his leg. He always did that when he was annoyed.

“I know she is a damn human, Edward. You don’t need to keep reminding me of it. I am asking more about what she thought. Is that awful for me to ask? Well, I suppose you listen in on the thoughts, so I can’t be any worse.” She spoke more to herself than Edward.

“You are acting erratic. She was just very curious about us. She thought we were odd, she questioned if we were putting on a show or if we were actually as perfect as we seemed. She also wondered why you were so quiet. Oh, and she got very defensive about her future plans when you questioned them. It seemed like you might have struck a nerve.”

“Dang. So, does she not want to be my friend now?”

“How should I know that? I just hear thoughts; I know she was curious about you. She didn’t think ill of you.” He said looking out the window.

“You are a pain in my side, but sometimes I love having you around.” She said. He looked to her with surprise. She shrugged. “You know, for your gift.”


	5. You Are the Best Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connections form with each passing day. Bella attends a football game, deals with a rude brunette, has Rosalie over again and works up the nerve to...well, you'll see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you guys getting excited over the interactions between our main women? I am. I am excited to share what comes next! This chapter title is one of my favorite songs, I can't help but feel that Bella shares its sentiment.

The next week seemed to go by in a blur and at a snail's pace all at once. She did her best to occupy her time with hobbies. She had taken up a couple of new hobbies just to keep her mind off the human. At night she took to learning carpentry. Her family, namely Edward, was less than pleased about her new distraction.

When her hands were idle her mind wandered. She caught herself thinking about the curvature of Rosalie's face. The way her eyes seemed to smile when she laughed. She would get temporarily lost. Then she would catch herself, shake away those thoughts and make a new table. Her room was starting to get full of unneeded furniture. Maybe she could make things for the rest of the house.

Any chance she got to speak to the blonde brought excitement to her. She thought each day about clever things to say and observations she could bring up to make Rosalie laugh. She would replay their conversations in her head and often daydream about their next project session. It was easy to see she was in deep with her first real crush in, well, forever.

That Friday night she decided to go to the football game to support her school team. Well, she mostly wanted to seem like she supported the team. She was there to cheer on the blonde cheerleader. Edward found it interesting that she wanted to go, so he decided to join. He spent most of the ride to the game questioning her motives in seeing the game. Once they arrived, he quickly realized whom she was there to support.

The two got a seat in the stands to the right of the cheerleaders, about midway up the tall bleachers. Edward and Bella shuffled into their spot, fitting in about as well as a wolf in a heard of sheep. Edward sat stiffly, refusing to breath for his own throat's sake. Bella noticed but cut him slack, she knew he hadn't fully recovered after his relapse in LA.

"You know she hasn't even noticed us…" He said sharply.

"Who?" Bella tried to play coy. She kept her eyes on the players for the time being.

"I may not be able to read your mind, but I still understand you. Why do you care so much anyways?" He questioned her bluntly. She sighed realizing how obvious she had been.

"I have no idea." She sincerely hadn't figured it out. She had her theories; she could only guess. "I think I am tired of being alone, I could use a friend." She said looking down to her hands fidgeting with anxiety.

"I am your friend. Is your family not enough?" He said with a pat on her leg. He quickly retracted his hand, the gesture felt uncomfortable to him. She looked to his hand and furrowed her brow as he became awkward from the interaction.

"You wouldn't understand." She said as she turned her head to watch the game.

"You always assume that no one gets it. You assume that we won't understand. Maybe you could try giving me a chance?" He explained calmly.

She looked back at him to study his face. He appeared genuine; she finally concluded that she would not be able to escape the conversation. With a heavy sigh she answered him.

"You are my brother, a constant reminder of how different I am from the world around me. I want to feel what they feel. I want to laugh and share myself with someone who does not believe I am eternally damned, so sue me." She finished with sarcasm. She could never fully open up to him, she could never fully let her guard down to him.

"She cannot be trusted. She is but an ignorant teenage girl." He argued. He could not understand why she needed her companionship; he didn't understand why the girl was special. She was objectively beautiful, but he was not particularly fond of her.

"It doesn't really matter. Can you just try to understand that I want this? I want to at least try." She said feeling defeated. She looked at her hands folded on her lap. She felt stupid for coming to the game, stupid for bringing Edward and even worse for thinking she could make friends.

"Who is that Greek god sitting next to the retarded girl you talk to?" Jessica said tugging on Rosalie's sleeve next to the field. She wasn't quiet about pointing him out, of course no one else would hear over the cheering crowd. Well, no one but the vampires.

"She is looking." He whispered in her ear.

Bella's golden orbs shot up quickly to meet her favorite violet blue. Rosalie held her gaze until the brunette that Bella loathed pulled her attention away. Jessica asked her if she had ever seen him. Rosalie seemed deep in thought but told her it was Bella's brother.

"There is no way he is as weird as her. We should go introduce ourselves after the game!" She said twirling her long brown hair in her fingers; she eyed him like he was candy before having to return to a routine they performed. Edward shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

"She is happy you are hear. She also doesn't care about me or agree with the annoying girl gawking over me." Edward conveyed to Bella, not waiting for her to ask what she thought.

"Oh, well, we did hit it off alright. I think?"

"Yes, she seems more focused on her routine now, but she keeps wondering if you are watching… humans are so odd sometimes." He scrunched his face in surprise.

"What is it?" Bella asked a little too anxiously.

"She is nervous about messing up. She is trying to impress you, by…cheer leading well?" He didn't understand the thoughts he heard. His mind could not fathom how that would impress a vampire, as they were easily the superior beings physically. Bella Smiled in response, she understood the blonde's worry, she had it too in other things.

She did her best to ignore Jessica Stanley the next week. After her display at the field her patience was running thin and she couldn't risk messing anything up with her new budding friendship to her literature partner. Bella's inner beast snuck out as she thought of malicious fantasies involving the snobby brunette. She quickly dismissed all of them, refusing to be an animal of instinct.

The girl had changed her mind about Bella, she was now dead set on becoming friends with her. She never apologized for the way she treated Bella but seemed to be overly sweet each time she saw her. She seemed to find her between every class. She displayed almost vampiric talent for tracking her down. Bella was not used to this sort of attention and did not want it from the source. Jessica Stanley was as deep as a kiddie pool and her intentions were less than pure.

"Hey there!" Jessica almost startled her by appearing suddenly by her side in the school hallway. It was time for lunch, Bella's second favorite time of day. She ordinarily hated lunchtime, having to masquerade her disgust for human food. She had grown very fond of the period now, seeing as though she could steal glances at the object that consumed most of her thoughts.

"So, Bella, I was wondering if you would like to sit with us today at lunch?"

"What?" Bella questioned. She had developed the ability to tune her out most of the time, but her mention of the word lunch had alerted her to the conversation.

"I swear, it's like you can't hear. I asked if you wanted to join us for lunch." She said in a fake playfulness.

"Sure, but Jessica?" Her face grew serious. Jessica seemed to be on edge, waiting for her to continue.

"Yes?"

"Why now? Why do you want my friendship now?" She looked her in the eyes. Her eyes bore into Jessica, holding her gaze in a subtle intensity. The human became uncomfortable, her instincts screamed at her to turn from the vampire's gaze. She was a weak human, and thus she looked away.

"I…always wanted your friendship. I have a way of teasing you know; many people don't get my sophisticated humor at first. I don't blame you, but I am happy we are past that." She went on as they walked the hall. Bella internally rolled her eyes at the mock confidence of the human. One day, she really might just slip with this human.

Once they arrived in the cafeteria, she spotted Rosalie waiting for them in front of the line shuffling into the large open room. She wore her brilliant golden hair in loose waves with the left side pinned back slightly. The school was celebrating a spirit day, so she wore her captain's sweater and cheer skirt. Her athletic legs were on display just past her knee to her saddle black and white shoes, completing her outfit. The sight of the blonde made Bella's dead heart phantomly beat in her chest.

Her violet eyes shifted from Jessica to Bella. Her left brow arched slightly in surprise and confusion. She almost seemed impressed. Her eyes stirred intensity within Bella, causing an unnecessary hitch in her breath. She hoped no one noticed her small but embarrassing display.

"Hello Bella, are you joining us today?" She greeted her with disbelief.

"Yeah, your friend here invited me to sit with you all. I hope you don't mind." She sincerely hoped that she didn't.

"Of course not." She said with a smile. The tension eased slightly within Bella.

"I think it's weird you never invited her before." Jessica piped up as she took the lead into the cafeteria. Rosalie silently looked to Bella and rolled her eyes. Bella let out a small chuckle at the sight as they kept pace behind her.

Most of the lunch period consisted of Rosalie and Bella occasionally sharing glances from across the table as Lauren and Jessica talked. Most of what they said was either gossip or cruel observations of others. They did speckle in some talk about attractive guys in the school, none of which Bella agreed with.

"Ben is way more handsome!" Lauren said a little too loudly, putting a hand over her mouth in embarrassment.

"I think you might have fallen and hit your head, or do your freckles impair your sense of judgment?" Jessica argued back. "Mike is probably the best-looking guy here. I mean, at this school."

"It's not like there are many more options in town."

"Well, there is nothing wrong with going for older men. I might be seeing one soon." Jessica said proudly.

Bella and Rosalie connected eyes again as they did a few times during the argument. Bella felt it coming; Jessica thought she had a chance with her brother. They always thought they did. Rosalie gave her a knowing smirk; she seemed to know what Bella was thinking with each exchange. They never had to comment, their expressions revealing everything.

"You are dating an older guy?" Lauren exclaimed loudly. She earned herself a slap on the shoulder from the brunette.

"Shhh…you are so loud! I said I might. We met at the game the other night. He was watching me cheer all game, so naturally I went to see him after. He is the quiet type, but gorgeous, like a god." She said blushing.

Bella let out a grown of annoyance, not loud enough for Jessica to hear. She focused her eyes on the plate in front of her, shuffling food around to distract herself from the conversation. She wouldn't be able to resist outwardly laughing if she didn't do so.

What she conceitedly assumed was completely off. Sure, Edward had been staring but not at her and not because of attraction. Bella couldn't wait to tell Edward about the girl and see the awkward look on his face. She loved messing with him; it was one of the highlights of her existence.

She looked up again to steal a glance at Rosalie, met with her eyes again. Her eyes twinkled with wide expression. She mouthed "watch this" to Bella then became stoic turning to Jessica.

"He was looking at you too?" She asked in fake concern.

"Yeah, who else?" She questioned with chock.

"That's so odd. He was staring at me during the game, and when you left, he gave Bella his phone for me to ring him." She said, her mouth twitching at the side. She was doing her best to hold her serious expression, but laughter was soon to break her composure.

"He did?" She asked in command. Her eyes intensely looked to Bella, who choked out with a small burst of laughter. She quickly masked the laugh with a loud cough, her hand covering her mouth in fake strain.

"Um…" She cleared her throat. "I guess I thought you knew he was watching, you had no idea?"

"Oh lord." Lauren said in surprise. Jessica slid back her chair dramatically and stormed out of the cafeteria. Lauren quickly followed, still in shock. Bella gave one look at Rosalie and burst into laughter. The blonde let out a large guffaw and a snort. She covered her face in shock and embarrassment. Bella found it to be adorable, watching as the blonde's face light up red.

"That was payback for you." She said as she regained composure and took another bite of food. She was attempting to act like her snort never happened.

"For me?"

"You know, for her being mean to you before. Plus, this whole attempt to befriend you is superficial, I hope you know." She said matter-of-factly as she pointed to the vampire with her fork. She took a bite of the skewered meat after.

"Oh, I know, it wasn't hard to connect the dots after the display she gave at the game." Bella said with a smile. She noted Rosalie's sense of justice and loyalty as traits she endeared.

"Don't worry, I'll tell her that I was just fooling with her, eventually." She said twirling her fork in hand as she spoke the last part. Bella allowed a comfortable silence to fill their last few minutes of lunch before they walked to literature together. Once the bell rang and they were on their way she decided to confirm their plans for the project work that evening.

"I hope you don't mind that my mom expects you for dinner again?" She asked as they entered the door of the classroom.

"Not at all. My family never eats together. It's nice."

"You are welcome to eat with us anytime." She said before thinking about what that really meant. She amused herself with irony sometimes.

After practice Rosalie came over on her bike to work on the project with Bella. The two of them got into a heated argument over the characters of the book. Bella felt she could identify with Jane; therefore, she held a different interpretation of the novel. Rosalie, having not struggled and felt isolation a day in her life, felt less sympathetic for her character. Bella didn't disclose her close association with Jane or her struggle but wished she could be more open. That was the cost of being immortal and held to a strict few rules.

"I believe you make of life what you want. You are born under circumstance, but it does not need to define you. One can rise above." She stated with confidence.

"I think certain experiences can scar a person, making it more difficult to think and experience life as a person who has not endured such things." Bella argued lightly.

"I could see that, but I think still don't believe in pity."

"Pity of oneself or pity displayed on others?" Bella questioned out of curiosity.

"Pity of oneself. One should hold themselves with pride, no matter the circumstance of their past. If a man has not his pride, he is nothing." Rosalie stated as though she were quoting.

"Mmm…" Bella hummed in thought.

"What?"

"Oh nothing, it just sounds like something an old man with a scotch and cigar would say to his son in a moment of false wisdom." Bella said with a shrug. Rosalie cocked her left brow in her direction.

"Doesn't make it any less applicable." She said crossing her arms in a way reminiscent of a pout. Bella held the urge to smile at the blonde's dramatics.

"Your father drinks scotch, doesn't he?" She asked teasingly.

"Many men drink scotch." She looked out the window of Bella's room with her chin held high. Bella noted that her posture was something to rival any vampire's.

"And smokes cigars…"

"Your point?" She didn't bother looking back at the brunette that teased her.

"I just completely described your father." Bella said with a laugh. "I bet he tells your brothers things like that all the time."

"I don't have brothers."

"Sisters?"

"No."

"It all makes sense." Bella laughed loudly.

"Excuse me?" She said with her arms still folded, turning her head to scowl at Bella.

"You are an only child. It just makes sense. You always have new clothes, your hair done, a shiny new bike outside. You are spoiled!" Bella laughed.

"Coming from a girl whose father has a car and lets her drive it. Have you looked round your house? You are spoiled too!" She argued with passion.

"It's actually my car…" Bella said with a smirk. Rosalie threw a pillow at her.

"You are worse than me!"

"At least I can empathize with human suffering and struggle. That's the beauty of Jane Eyre. She can have a beautiful and fulfilling life in the end. Her struggle did not define her, though I wouldn't have blamed her if she let it."

"So, you agree with me then." Rosalie said teasingly. Bella sighed and shook her head in exasperation over the frustrating but adorable human.

They finished their project just before dinner was ready. They spent most of dinner in playful banter while Esme watched with delight. Carlisle exchanged knowing glances with his wife as they watched their daughter allow herself to come to life. Edward sat quietly shuffling his food around, still annoyed at the fact that he had to pretend to enjoy his small bites of roast.

"Oh Edward! I forgot to tell you; you have an admirer." Bella said taking a bite with flawless mock enjoyment.

Edward looked at her with confusion and a hint of nervousness. He shifted eyes from Bella to Rosalie and back. Bella, understanding what he was thinking, decided to correct his thoughts.

"Not Rosalie…The girl from the game. Her friend Jessica."

"The girl who's mouth runs faster than me?" He questioned dryly.

"That's the one. She is sweet on you; she won't stop talking about you. Believe me, I have to hear it the most." Rosalie said with a laugh.

"I told her you had mentioned her to me as well. She was excited. She is expecting you to take her to a movie this weekend." Bella said with a straight expression as she looked to her food. She pretended to take another bite. Edward dropped his silverware and stared at her with fear.

"You can't be serious?"

Rosalie burst out with laughter, unable to hold the facade that Bella did. Seeing her friend light up made her smile and giggle to herself. The blonde's laugh was infectious to the entire table aside from Edward. Esme and Carlisle joined in, unable to hold their snickers. Edward frowned at the realization that they were messing with him.

"I'm just relieved that this is all a joke." He said finally with a shrug.

"Oh, well it's not a joke. I mean the last part, but she is sweet on you. Maybe she is the one." Bella smirked at him.

"Oh sure. I'll keep it in mind. Thanks." He said with an eye roll.

Bella drove her friend home like before, leaving Edward at the house this time. She wanted to see the girl more, wishing that they had not been so efficient in their project. She remained quiet the first part of the drive, thinking of ways to see her more. She mentally kicked herself for getting so nervous over a human. Ordinarily confidence exuded from her, but with Rosalie it was different. She pushed herself to be more confident.

"Hey, um, do you know of anything fun to do in the area?" Bella said as her hands fidgeted on the steering wheel.

"Fun in Rochester…" She thought to herself as though it was a difficult question. "I am not sure what you would call fun. We have a movie theater. That is the highlight of the entertainment in the town. Have you seen a movie in a cinema before?" She asked sincerely.

"Once or twice." Bella said, giggling to herself.

"What?"

"I'm from LA. That is sort of all we do for fun there. That and go to the beach."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but you are going to be bored out of your mind in little Rochester. Why would you ever want to leave LA?"

"My dad got a job here; it was just time to get away from there anyways. If you know what I mean?"

"I guess. Well, the movies would be a nice thing to do, might make you feel at home." She said sweetly. Her smile was all Bella could focus on.

"Maybe you could show me the cinema's here. Are you free tomorrow night?" She felt herself getting more and more uncomfortable as she let words fall from her mouth.

"That would be nice, actually. King Kong is still playing. Have you seen it yet?"

"No, you?" She lied in hopes that she wouldn't ruin the plans.

"Not yet, I have been a little frightened to see it. I have wanted to though. Should we meet for dinner first?"

A crooked smile crept onto Bella's face. She could not think of a better way to spend the night. "That sounds great, I'll pick you up." Bella responded cheerfully.


	6. Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella takes Rosalie on a not date, date. She may be a vampire with every reason to be confident, but she has never been in this situation before. Everything about her feeling and her actions is foreign. She can't help but feel nervous. How will it go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading this, thank you for sticking with me. Things are happening! If you have not heard Khalid's Better, I'd suggest you take a listen. Its a good song and appropriate in some ways for this chapter. I might just also like the song, who knows.

Bella spent most of her night making a record table for her brother. Her skills were getting better with all the time she spent trying to distract herself. Edward ended up not liking her design. She almost broke the table in half when he casually dismissed her gift. Esme intervened by offering to put the table in the living room for the family record player.

Aside from her brief encounter with her brother Bella breezed through her night cheerfully. She spent much of her next day daydreaming about their upcoming night. She smiled as she met the eyes of Rosalie walking into her Literature class.

The two of them didn't get a chance to speak much, but she did confirm the time to pick her up before they left class. Jessica had made a snide comment in passing later in the day; she guessed that meant they were no longer budding friends. She was happier that way since it took effort to be kind to the girl.

She had taken time to get ready, care in every decision. She wore a natural lipstick, and light blush to make her seem more vibrant. It took her more than an acceptable time to pick out the right outfit. She almost paced a track into the carpet of her room from her indecisiveness. Finally, she decided on a red and white floral day dress that hugged her hips and stopped just below the knee.

She swished in the mirror smiling at the flow of the dress. She didn't wear nice dresses much. She mostly wore denim jeans outside of her school outfits. Her hair was left down but was given finger waves by Esme who did her hair for her. She dripped with Los Angeles glamour, but still felt inadequate to the woman she was sharing the evening with. It was a change for her to feel less than to any human in the looks department.

She decided to take her own car, which was an Auburn speedster, it was her latest car. Though, she only had two. Rosalie had never seen the car since she normally drove a more practical car. She had never really been as into cars as her brother or mother. The night was so pleasant that she decided on keeping the top off, her hair flowing in the light wind as she drove.

She played tunes on the radio, bobbing her head gently to them as she moved her hand in the wind outside the edge of the door. She was in one heck of a good mood. This was a change for her, she had to admit she was liking it.

Her nerves began to climb slightly as she parked in front of the Hale home. She turned the key to shut off the engine, the radio clicked off with it. She looked at the steering wheel as she worked up the nerve to get out. She was a vampire for Christ's sake, she could take a human on a date. No, not a date. She could take a human out to a movie. She had to get a handle on herself.

Bella paused before knocking on her door. She gave herself a second to straighten her dress and hair, hoping she wouldn't be too outdone. After finally knocking at the door, she was greeted by an older woman. She introduced herself as Rosalie's mother, but she had already gathered who she was based on their shared bone structure and hair. Her mother had her same jaw and delicate high cheekbones. Her hair was also golden blonde, but not as vibrant as her daughter. She was beautiful, but even in her prime she would not have come close to Rosalie.

"You must be Bella! Rosalie is just finishing getting ready. She tells me you are new to the school?"

"Yes, my family just moved to the area from California." Bella said being polite.

"The land of the stars! I always wanted Rosalie to be in that sort of business. She has always been just so beautiful; she could be the next big star. I hear they just never have to worry about a thing when they make it big, all that money." The older woman waved her hand around dramatically. She was expressive, much more ardent than Rosalie.

"She could be the next Fray Way." Bella said with a small laugh.

"My thoughts exactly, but she has never been that interested in that. She is so stubborn that one." She said as Rosalie interrupted by making her entrance.

She also wore a day dress, but a dark blue with polka dots. The dress was filled out by her curves, the chest of the dress expanded farther than Bella's. Her hair was done up with loose curls, the light made her blonde locks shine like gold jewelry. Her lips wore the dark red lipstick. Bella's eyes lingered on her lipstick, noting to herself how much she loved the look on the girl. The sight of her made the nervous vampire fall into a sort of trance. She watched with awe as the goddess walked to meet them.

"Mother, I told you I have no interest in performing like a puppet." She said contesting her mother. Her voice brought the vampire back to reality.

"See what I mean? She is so stubborn." Her mother sighed heavily. "You will be going to dinner and a movie and then coming home?"

"Yes, Mrs…"

"Hale. Mrs. Hale, but you may call me Mary."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Hale, We'll be back in a jiff!" She said Joyfully. Her unnecessary breath came out shakier than she would have hoped. She was scared that they noticed.

They left quickly after that, Rosalie and Bella both feeling awkward for a reason neither of them had understood. Bella had thought about opening the door, but didn't, that would come off odd she thought.

They pulled into one of the local favorite restaurants. It was a small diner style Café. With its dark wood counter, soda fountain, tall booths and friendly service; Roy's All-American Diner beat the depression by filling the stomachs and hearts of Rochester. Bella couldn't exactly pin point what the average American teenage human would eat, but she had to be close with burgers and shakes.

They went in and sat down in the back-corner booth. The place was bright with color; the seats were striped red and white. Dark wood made the booths and tabletops. The few staff member's roaming around wore an outfit with similar colors to the booths.

"My dad takes me here every time he gets back from one of his trips. We used to split a strawberry shake, but since I've grown, I get my own." Rosalie said thinking back on her good memories.

"Your father travels for work?" Bella asked a little surprised. It was unusual for men to have to travel to keep their positions. She could have guessed that her family was wealthy by the size of the home they lived in. She assumed her father had a good job.

"He does, too much. He is an executive at J.P. Morgan bank. He often has to visit banks all around the country, cracking the whip when they are not performing up to standard. He is often gone half of the year."

"J.P. Morgan must be under performing often then." Bella joked.

"They hold high standards, which is why my father is there. He is a Hale, after all." She said proudly.

"What can I get you gals?" A busty waitress with curly hair approached. Her apron wore what appeared to be every customer's order for the last couple of days.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries. Oh! And a strawberry shake." The blonde said excitedly. Her smile lit up the diner.

"And you doll?" She said turning to Bella.

"The same please."

"Coming right up." She said tapping her pad of paper with her pen before tucking the pen behind her ear and walking away.

"So, what is a Hale?" Bella asked without skipping a beat.

"What?"

"You said your father is a Hale, what makes a Hale, a Hale?" Bella asked gesturing at her with her hands comfortably.

"Well, we hold ourselves to high standards. Never settle for an A minus, don't just cheerlead, be captain. It's not enough to be average or even good. A Hale is the best."

"That seems like a lot of pressure." She said with a shrug. She was completely intrigued by the girl.

"It's probably better for me that way. You can't make a diamond without pressure." Rosalie smirked after she said it.

"There you go again with the cigar and bourbon dad sayings."

"Scotch." The blonde corrected with a bite of her lip after. She looked tentatively for Bella to meet her teasing eyes. When she did her features softened into a smile.

"Right, scotch. Bourbon father is much less interested in his kid's lives. He probably says things like 'Don't touch my collection of stamps' and 'Its' sir to you.' Bella said in a mock stern tone. She genuinely laughed at herself, it had been years since she allowed her demeanor to be light, but the blonde brought it out of her.

The waitress reappeared with two strawberry shakes. She set them down and then pulled out a couple of straws from the black hole that was her apron. The two thanked her, she only responded with a gruff 'Sure Hun.'

"So, what about you?" The human asked after her laughter settled. The blonde took a strong sip of her shake as she looked up to meet the vampire's eyes. Bella didn't answer for moment, mesmerized by the violet eyes that peered up at her.

"You want to know about me?"

"Of course. How are we to be friends if I don't know about you?" The question, although meant to tease, warmed the vampire's dead heart.

"Well, I'm far more boring than THE Rosalie Hale, guarantee you that." The blonde scoffed at the notion with a small smile. Bella took a painful sip of her shake to wash down some of her nervousness over the request. When the blonde stared expectantly, Bella cleared her throat and continued. "Like I said, I just moved from LA. I enjoy reading and the beach. I am adopted, well sort of. "

"Yeah, I've been afraid to ask, but I am curious about that."

"Well my father died before I was born. He was in the war. My mother was a sort of older sister to Esme. Not by blood, but a close family friend. When she died, I was left in the care of Esme and Carlisle." She said feeling pain for lying to the girl. She wanted more than anything to be honest, to share herself. Her true self was kept so hidden from the world and it exhausted her.

"How old were you?"

"Twelve." She said looking to her plate.

Bella looked off in thought, remembering her mother as best she could. She was a thin woman with sandy brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Her mother always gave the warmest smiles. She worked hard and wore the worries of her day in the wrinkles on her face, but her smile was warm. She wished so often she could have given her mother a better life.

"Do you miss her?" As the words poured out of her mouth, she winced realizing the stupidity of her question.

She took care of her mother in her last days, cleaning the blood from her face, washing her and feeding her. She remembered holding her mother's hand in her last moments, her mother's chest cracking with each breath. Her fight for life was strong, but the sickness was simply stronger. Her mother lost the fight. In those days many had been taken by consumption.

"It's okay, I do, but she was suffering. She is at peace now." She said taking a sip of her water, attempting nonchalance. Even water tasted like bile, she winced internally.

After dinner they went to see the movie at the local double-plex theater. Rosalie insisted that she pay for the tickets since Bella had secretly paid for dinner. The two of them grabbed some popcorn to share and a soda.

Once they were seated Rosalie casually threw up a piece of popcorn that easily landed in her mouth. She looked to Bella with a cocky smirk, challenging her to do the same. Bella cringed at the thought of having to put one more bit of human food in her mouth but smiled and grabbed her own piece. She flipped it off her hand with her thumb, like the flipping of a quarter. The piece spun in the air and subsequently landed in her mouth. She made it look almost too easy.

"Hmph." Rosalie sounded in annoyance. Bella could tell she certainly didn't like to be outdone. She smiled at the human that was ever surprising her.

Once the previews were started, they settled into a comfortable silence. Bella stole small glances at the human as they watched the movie, getting caught twice by the blonde. She mentally kicked herself each time but couldn't resist the urge to continue.

During the first appearance of the giant ape, Rosalie hid her face dramatically in Bella's shoulder. The action caused what felt like electrical shocks that quickly radiated throughout the vampire's body. The stimulation caused Bella to take a sharp inhale, which seemed natural given the scene of the movie. She was both thankful for that and puzzled as to the reaction her body had. She had never felt anything like it before in all of her life.

After a few more scenes involving the monster, Rosalie rested her temple permanently on Bella's shoulder. She seemed content and comfortable enough and that relaxed and excited Bella in a way that was more confusing than ever. She was not used to friendly encounters or human behavior, but this seemed to be abnormal. It made her unbelievably happy to hear Rosalie's light breath deepen as though she was taking in her scent. She thought she even heard her hum faintly. The childish grin on Bella's face couldn't be contained, even if she tried.

After the movie Bella and the human walked side by side to her two-seater car. There was a sense of familiarity between them. It felt natural to wander beside the human. She could walk with her for hours.

Bella drove Rosalie home, again resisting the urge to open the car door for her. They talked without pause the entire way to her house, even for several minutes once they were on her street. Secretly, neither one of them wanted the night to end. Rosalie had cracked the shell of the quiet girl she had wondered about. Bella had begun to feel natural, thinking less critically about every word she let leave her mouth.

Bella smiled widely; Rosalie laughed at a joke she had just made. The vampire felt a longing in her chest as she watched the once stoic cheerleader smile at her. Her smile faded as she became entranced in the blonde's lips. She had the most beautiful full red lips. As if she noticed the stare, the blonde let her laugh settle, looking back in a moment of silence at the golden orbs intensely taking her in. Her lips parted as golden eyes met her own violet.

For a brief moment both felt a pull to close the distance between them. Bella let out a sharp breath, her minded snapping back to reality. Her hunger for the blonde was almost too much to handle, her eyes flickered away from Rosalie. She bit her lip thinking about what she was feeling, trying to calm her hunger. Rosalie seemed to be free from the daze she was in as well, after breaking eye contact, she looked to her lap, her fingers fidgeted.

"Well, I should probably get inside. My mother will be calling the police if I'm not on time." She teased nervously. Her voice racked slightly; Bella turned back with a puzzled look. She wondered if the blonde felt the intensity of the moment as well.

"I guess I will see you at school then." She responded shortly. Her features became hardened. Her mind was in overdrive, but her features remained aloof.

"Yes, thank you again, for everything. It's nice to make a new friend." She said sweetly with the same endearing smile.

"Of course. Thank you. Have a good night." She offered a small polite smile to the blonde. Sensing a change in her mood, Rosalie gave her a tentative smile before making her way to her door. Just before her own door, she turned to give Bella a wave and a smile.

Bella was sure of one thing; Rosalie Hale, a fragile human, had inadvertently changed her world.


	7. You're Somebody Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella tries to regulate her emotions, but falls short. She had been alive for sixty plus years and has never had this happen. She tries to play it cool, but its so hard when the object of your thoughts is a goddess with golden locks and violet eyes. Watch Bella fall deeper as she tries to keep her equilibrium in balance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter, because as I read I can feel their energy. I hope you can too, I hope its as palpable to you as it was to me. Please comment and let me know what you think of the story so far! I'll try to post another few chapters tomorrow. Until then, enjoy.

Bella’s mind went into overdrive that night. She couldn’t tell you what she had seen on her way home, when she got home or how. She wasn’t herself after dropping off the blonde. When she got home, she went straight to her room and laid in the same place for the entire weekend. Her mind had worked itself so much that she went almost catatonic.

She didn’t understand what she felt; she didn’t understand what it meant. She felt hungry, so unsettlingly hungry. She was used to hunger, but not this. This was not a throat burning, venom releasing type of hunger. The hunger opened a hole in her chest, made her dead heart lurch in her chest and hope for warmth. For the first time in over three decades she had yearned. 

In the small moment that she shared with the blonde her world had shifted. She felt a force not unlike gravity and it pulled her in. In her nearly forty years as a vampire she was unused to change. The world turned and life cycled around her, but she remained. When Rosalie looked into her eyes, she felt hope, hope that her life could change too.

Those thoughts overwhelmed her. She had never felt yearning for another, not since her transformation. Before she was immortal, she couldn’t remember feeling anything like this either. Her stomach seemed to ache, her chest felt cold and empty as she lay in her bed. The warmth that had filled her was gone now, an icicle in its place.

Bella heard a gentle knock at her door. She groaned in response but allowed her guest to come in. Esme peeked in her door; worry was evident on her face.

“I wanted to check on you.” She said simply.

“I’m fine. I just needed a little bit to think.” She said not bothering to look at her mother.

“You have been locked up in here for almost three days, hun. We are beginning to really worry.” She said as she sat next to her daughter on her bed. She placed an arm on her shoulder to comfort her.

“I’m alright, just thinking is all.”

“We never got to hear about your outing with Rosalie. Did something happen to upset you?”

“It was good. I don’t really want to talk about it.” She said blankly.

“So, something did happen then?”

“It was fine. Nothing happened…I think it’s okay.” She said unsure of herself.

“You know that I love you and that I worry about you. I am so proud that you are trying to get out there and make friends. She is a sweet girl too.” She said warmly.

“She is perfect.” Bella said almost involuntary.

“Sweetie, I wanted to…well, I wanted to ask you something. You know how much I care about you, so I want you to know that I will always be here for you…”

“What is it?” Bella interrupted. Esme seemed distracted. Her mother thought of the right words to say.

“Do you think you might have different feeling for Rosalie? I know you seemed to be comfortable around her. I just…” She paused unsure of how to continue.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I notice things. I see how you watch her when she talks, how you are happier when she is here. It seems as though you might feel for her.” 

A long silence persisted between them. Bella took in her words, running through her reactions and thoughts. The idea had not occurred to her, now here it was, like a flashing sign in her face. She had never felt for anyone like she had for this girl. 

“If I am being honest…I don’t know what I feel. I need her; I felt warmth around her the other night. She looked at me and my mind went crazy, I felt a pull to her. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t want to hurt her; I have never felt this before.” She said sitting up in bed. She cradled her head in her hands.

“She awakens you?” Esme seemed to understand.

“Yes. I felt hope when I looked into her eyes. I felt like I could have a chance at happiness. Is that insane? She is a fragile girl. She is a girl for Christ’s sake!”

“We cannot help these feelings. I can assure you that you will not hurt her.”

“The only time I have felt something so intense, it was my hunger for blood. How can I trust myself around her?”

“If you feel these things, you will do anything to keep harm from her. I know these things.” She said with confidence.

“I can’t…I can’t feel this for her. She is a girl and this will never work. I would be fooling myself if I entertained this.” She said looking down into her lap. She felt ashamed of her thoughts.

“You can’t know that; I would just keep her as a friend. She is lucky to have you. If things develop, well then so be it. Who am I to say whether it is wrong or right? I am a creature that must survive off of blood! I think you deserve love, and if she returns it, then good for you two.” She said with a smile so genuine that it made Bella smile lightly. Her mother was one ahead of her time.

“Thanks, but I am hardly friends with her. Love is a distant hope. Love…this is all too much.” She said shaking her head.

“Stay strong, you will figure all of this out in time. I am here for you always.” Esme said getting up. She gave Bella a kiss on the forehead before making her exit. Just before the door she turned with a smile and called out. “If you keep scaring me like this, I will have to take away your door.”

The next day at school Bella was unsure of how to act. She got to the school twenty minutes early, something she would have never done before. She was always the type to roll in a minute before the bell, hoping to have as little interaction with students as possible. Today she looked forward to seeing Rosalie, she had no idea what time she normally arrived so she was early.

As she waited for her friend she stood with her back against the wall outside the school. As Mike passed, he waved with an eager smile, still hoping to make an impression with her. She remained cold faced, as if she didn’t see him. The light in his eyes faded as he passed, and what appeared to be hurt mixed with confusion took over. Bella sighed in annoyance after he was gone.

Then she saw her. In the distant she spotted her bouncing along on her same old bike as she pedaled into the school lot. Her golden hair lightly wavered in the breeze, her face was relaxed and joyful as she nodded to other students she knew. Finally, she descended her bike near a large area of racks and began to unpack her books from the back carrier. She didn’t seem to notice Bella at the front of the school waiting.

Rosalie turned to make her way to the school, spotting Bella standing near the front of the building. A smile spread across her face as she met eyes with the vampire. Suddenly, Bella wondered what she was thinking. She hadn’t fully thought out her reason for waiting outside the school, nor for her being early. She began to over analyze in her classic fashion. She lifted her back from the wall and began to walk towards the lot without thought, then changed directions when she thought better. She headed back for the entrance to the school in awkwardness.

“Hey Bella!” Bella turned around at her voice, embarrassed at her awkward display.

“Oh, hey Rose. Wait, can I call you Rose?” She asked a little unsure of herself and her nickname.

“Sure, that’s what my father calls me. I’m sure he won’t mind sharing the nickname.” She said with a smile and a wink. Bella began to feel heat fill her cold face. If she were human, she would have been explaining away some very red cheeks. 

“G…good.” She said smiling enthusiastically. Her mind began to spiral thinking of something else to say. 

“Did you have a nice weekend?” The blonde beat her to it.

“It was great, I just spent time with the family. How about you?” She said trying to calm her nerves.

“It was pretty good, I mostly just did homework and practiced for the upcoming concert.”

“Concert?”

“Yeah, we have a fall showcase coming up. Haven’t you seen the flyers around school?” 

“Oh, I mean yeah, but I didn’t know you played anything?” Bella questioned, wondering how she had not learned this about her friend yet.

“Yes, I can’t believe I didn’t tell you? I play the Cello. I have been since I was old enough to hold it. I’ve actually had some interest in my music at a college level.” She said as they walked the hall up to their lockers. The blonde pulled open her locker door and began to sort her books, putting some of them away. Bella stood with her back to the locker next to hers, in disbelief that she had missed such a large detail.

“Wow, I guess I just had no idea, are you thinking of pursuing that?” She asked. As she spoke, Rosalie dropped a book, Bella caught it without looking or thought of how her action would appear. Rosalie’s jaw gaped when Bella kept talking as if she had done nothing.

“Nice catch…” She said in disbelief. Suddenly, Bella realized that her gesture was inhuman, she scratched the back of her head as she handed her the book back.

“Oh, yeah, sure. I have always had good reflexes.” She shrugged. The blonde went back to gathering her things. “So, when is the concert?” 

“Next week on Saturday. It’s a pretty big deal because of the interest in me. I guess some people from NYU and Julliard are coming to see the performance.”

“Is that something you would want to do; go to college I mean?” Bella asked as she walked her to her first class.

“Well, I hadn’t given it much of a thought until recently. Mother has always expected me to find a man and settle down after my schooling. She doesn’t approve of women fooling around at school. I had never considered it an option.” She said honestly. They had approached her classroom door. She leaned again the frame as they talked. 

“Hmm…That doesn’t mean it’s not an option.” Bella said sincerely. Rosalie smiled and looked to the floor. Bella sensed something change in the girl. She seemed to blush, but the vampire could not be sure. It was small but there was a change in her emotion, almost as if she became aware of her nerves.

“Thanks for walking me to my class.” She said as she looked up to meet Bella’s eyes. She was blushing, Bella had no doubt of that now. Bella nodded; it was the best she could offer the girl who held her in a trance. Without another word the blonde spun around on her heel and walked into her class.

Bella spent the next few days practicing the same routine. She would walk Rosalie to her first, third and sixth periods. Those were the periods that she shared a hall with her, making it seem more natural for her to do so. She would ask more about the girl, clinging to every detail of her life. She learned more about her every day, and the more she learned, the harder it became to fight her feelings. Esme’s words resounded in her head. Did she want her in a way that was not just friendly?

After a few days of her walking the blonde to her classes and sharing hushed conversations in literature, she wanted to do more for her. She observed which foods the girl liked at lunchtime, how could she not when the very smell of the food stuck out so harshly to her while they ate?

She made her way to their lunch period quickly, beating Rosalie to the cafeteria. Normally, they would meet outside, but today she went through the line and had gotten what she knew to be her favorite items. She met her out in front of the cafeteria with trays in hand.

When the blonde approached, she was wearing a confused expression. Bella questioned how she could be so stupid to go as far as she did with her gestures. She thought of dropping the trays and running out of the out of the school. All of her anxiety settled when the blonde’s expression turned to a smile.

“I figured the lines are usually long, and I was here early.” She said coolly.

“Thank you so much, I’m starving!” She exclaimed happily.

Before they had a chance to make their way into the lunchroom Bella caught her least favorite human’s scent. She looked down the hall to see Jessica Stanley eyeing them with a scrunched face. She looked confused and angry.

“You guys got food without me?” She said with a high-pitched voice. 

“Bella just got here early, she got me my food.” Rosalie said looking to Bella with a small smile. Bella’s dead heart skipped at her reward. 

“Oh, so you didn’t get mine?” She said with a scoff.

“I only have two hands, sorry.” Bella said with forced sympathy.

“Hm…” She said passing the vampire with attitude to go to the line. 

Jessica went through the line, giving Bella some time to chat with Rosalie at the table. Bella smiled to herself as she listened to Jessica gossip about her to Lauren while the two were in line. Her vampiric hearing had its advantages, though if she had her choice, she would tune them out.

Once the two snobby girls had their food they came to sit at their table. Jessica chose to sit next to Rosalie, leaning her shoulder towards the blonde in a possessive way. Bella shuffled her food around her plate quietly as Jessica whispered to the blonde. 

“So, what is going on with Bella?” Jessica whispered into Rosalie’s ear. Rosalie flashed her eyes to look at the vampire.

“What do you mean?” She said back, a little louder than a whisper. The brunette hushed her quietly.

“Shh, why is she stuck on you?” 

“She isn’t stuck on me; we have just been spending time together. She is actually very nice and funny. You should give her a chance.” Rosalie whispered in a half scold.

“I don’t like her. I think she is weird and stuck up your butt.” She whispered while crossing her arms in a pout too childish for a seventeen year old. Rosalie did her best to ignore her for the rest of the lunch period.

Over the next few weeks Bella settled into a routine of walking Rosalie to class, going to her games on Friday nights and going out to dinner Saturday nights. She even went to Rosalie’s concert and marveled at her friend’s ability to create such beautiful music from some wood and strings. 

She couldn’t get enough of the blonde, learning new things everyday about the object of her affection. It seemed as though the attention and friendship were just as much welcomed by the girl in return. Bella found herself coming over to the girl’s house a few times a week to do homework together and listen to her practice her music. 

One day as she lay on the blonde’s bed lazily watching her practice, her mind began to wander. She thought about how much happier she was and about the stark contrast her life was now to what it had been before. The human played a particularly challenging piece from Bach while she watched.

A loud snap sounded and in a flash the blonde let out a cry. Her instrument fell to the floor with a broken string spiraled out of place. Before she could think the brunette vampire was up and inspecting a long cut on her cheek. Blood trickled down her cheek as she cradled her face, a painful scowl evident. Bella quickly left to get a hand towel from the blonde’s bathroom, returning almost too fast for a human.

“Here, let me see it again.” Bella said nudging her hand free from her face. She dabbed the towel to her cheek, attempting to clean the blood and stop her from bleeding further. Rosalie winced at her work.

“I never thought playing could be so dangerous.” She teased as she winced. Bella ignored her, worried for her friend and for her own lust. “Bella, I’ve never seen your eyes so dark. Do they ever change color?” 

“Um…yeah, sometimes. It’s the light.” She said still serious in her expression as she continued to dab her face.

“Hmm…I’ve never noticed before. Does it appear as though I will live?” She asked trying to lessen the seriousness of her injury. Bella let her arm fall away from the girl’s face, looking her in the eye for the first time since the incident. She let the towel drop to the floor; kneeling on one knee she raised her hand once more to the Rosalie’s smooth cheek.

“I think you might make it. Lucky for you I was here.” Bella said as she let her thumb brush across the wound. Her thumb wiped up a small drip surfacing. The blonde shuttered slightly at her cold touch. “My hands are always cold, sorry.” She explained softly.

“It feels nice, actually.” She said slowly, her eyes never leaving Bella’s. She reached one hand up to gently touch Bella’s. As Bella took in her eyes, she saw that the pain was far gone from them, longing in its place. Her lips parted as Bella’s thumb brushed her cheek once more. Bella’s touch was faint enough to feel like a cool breeze along her skin. She leaned in to her touch instinctively. Bella felt her dead heart race, her stomach in her throat as she felt the tension build.

Bella caught herself longing. She caught herself wanting to lean in to the red lips that parted for her touch. She wanted to taste her breath and defy all logic that told her she couldn’t. 

She thought that just maybe Rosalie wanted her too. Maybe she sought to feel her cool skin and smooth touch. She thought that just maybe she could pretend that nothing else existed and that they could stay there forever. She leaned in further, her face close enough to feel the blonde’s rapid breath. 

She debated on making the leap, and closing the distance that pulled them together. Before she could move any further, the blonde moved to meet her. Her lips begged to crash into Bella’s. 

“Dear, is your friend going to stay for supper?” Rosalie’s mother abruptly entered the room.

Rosalie halted a mere inch from Bella’s lips. Her head turned in surprise to greet her mother. The vampire heard the blonde swallow harshly. Bella’s features quickly recovered; she was always good at her masks. She put on a smile and grabbed her towel to prepare for an explanation on the situation.

“Heavens! What happened to your face?” The mother seemed panicked. 

“Mother, I’m alright. Bella was just helping me with the blood. The string…”

“Oh dear, that is going to scar!” She said examining the girls face roughly. Her hands gripped her jaw too tight for comfort.

“It was the Cello; it is really not so bad. I almost can’t feel it anymore.” She said embarrassed.

“Your beautiful face…” She said with a tisk. “You should have stuck with the piano. A lady does not play with something between her legs anyways.” She said lightly scolding. Bella giggled quietly to her comment. Rosalie’s eyes shot to the vampire, a knowing look on her face. The vampire shrugged lightly.

After Rosalie had somewhat successfully calmed her vain mother down, she left the room. Bella had made up an excuse to not spend dinner with the family. She would normally agree to it, but the most recent event between them had her feeling a little unhinged. She needed to hunt and find clarity. 

She didn’t stay long after the blonde’s mother left the room. She became insecure about the situation and all but ran out of the room. 

“I should go.” Bella said in her own confusion.

“You don’t have to leave yet…”

“Its just that Esme needed my help at home…” The vampire checked her wristwatch. “I am way past when I said I’d be home.” 

She grabbed her bag and walked past the blonde. She seemed colder to the girl. She was confused and vulnerable. She had realized that she wanted her like Esme suggested and that was a hard pill to swallow. The vampire stopped at the door and turned her head slightly.

“I’m sorry, I’ll see you at school.”

The girl seemed somewhat shy and reserved after their almost kiss, but more comfortable about it than Bella. She was more than a little confused about the abrupt departure of her friend. They were both wearing their masks, cordial and polite. Pretending that they were normal, both of them knowing they weren’t. They both knew a change had occurred, and that they would never be the same. 

Bella was sure of one thing as she made her way home. She wanted Rosalie, and Rosalie had wanted her back.


	8. Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella has to get away and figure a few things out. She goes to see familiar friends and gets the help she needs. Unfortunately, she also gets an unwelcome blast from the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fair warning, this chapter contains some dark imagery. I have given some account to Bella's past, and it is dark and gruesome. Other than that, I am excited to move on and get to some more Rosella. This chapter serves as a bridge to that. I love the song that is the chapter's title. It was hard to find a song that fit, but I think the message captures what Bella feels when she thinks about the life, and her past. Nothing but Thieves is also an incredible band, I will most likely post more chapter names as their songs. Thank you for your reviews, I hope you keep it up! Enjoy.

Bella had no idea what to do; this is what she had wanted, right? She had gravitated towards the blonde, hoping deep within herself that her affection could be returned. Her mind went into over-drive as she ran. She ran deep in thought about all the potential futures she could have and how they would end up. She thought of her life with the blonde, and without it. All roads seemed to lead to pain in some way. Pain she seemed to want despite the logic.

She ran throughout the night, snagging a couple of elk and bears along her way. By the time she reached her destination her dress was ripped and broken. Her hair was disheveled, blood stained her cheek and her dress was worn off the shoulder with a large tear. She looked to be something out of a nightmare.

Her pace slowed as she reached the Denali homestead. Her bare feet made tracks in the snow leading up to the house; her shoes had been lost somewhere in the Canadian wilderness. A light blonde woman opened the door to greet the incoming vampire. Her stance was confident; a smile spread her pink full lips as her brilliant white teeth lay underneath.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in!" The vampire stood confidently with her hands on her hips. She wore a thick rugged fur coat, masking the small frame of her body underneath.

"Hey Kate." Bella greeted her friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. The blonde gave her a tight embrace as she kissed her cheek back. She then pushed the brunette away from her, holding her at arm's length. She let her eyes move down Bella and back up, smirking as their eyes met.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Oh, you know, just decided to go for a light jog." Bella teased as she walked past the blonde to go inside the house.

The inside of the cabin was deceivingly large. Inside was a large open space, with a view of the banister leading to the second floor, all made from thick logs of wood. Large fur rugs covered the floors tastefully, one in each room. A large cast iron chandelier dangled above the two in the foyer, thick white wax candles filled the chandelier, all burning and dripping with wax.

"Bella! My dear, how are you?" A cheerful voice sounded from behind the brunette. She turned to see a curly haired golden blonde vampire coming for her with open arms.

"Tanya, how good it is to see you!" Bella smiled as she hugged the motherly vampire. Tanya had always been a sort of aunt to Bella, helping her through her initial few months of being a vampire helped them to form a nurturing bond. Kate and Bella behaved more like best friends, always bantering playfully.

The sound of a door opening came from upstairs, Bella looked up to seem Irina at the top of the stairs. Irina was a dirty blonde vampire with a tall slender body. Her face was more baby like; her smile was hardly ever witnessed, as she was more reserved and serious than the other two Denali.

"Hello." Irina simply said with her arms crossed.

"Hey Irina, I see you are still the ball of sunshine you have always been." Bella teased.

"Oh shush!" Kate said jabbing Bella's arm.

After the Denali had lent her some clothes they sat down to catch up. Bella did her best to act normal, though the two she visited with could tell she had not come to small talk. Bella had always relied on Tanya as a guide. She had known her years before Esme, and though Esme seemed to be the one who could crack her emotional barrier, Tanya had seen her at her worst.

Tanya accepted her when she was a terrible new born and helped her gain control over her thirst. She had never pushed her to connect with her emotions, but was supportive if she needed to talk.

Bella sat alone in a chair across the large living room from Kate and Tanya who sat on separate side of their couch. A large white polar bear rug lay on the floor between them and a fire burned in the large fireplace on the wall at the front of the room. Bella sat with her legs straight, hands on her knees, bouncing her right knee anxiously. She made little eye contact with the vampires as they talked lightly about how each other's families had been.

"So, Bella, did you come tell us of some news?" Tanya asked after a lull in the conversation. Bella chewed on her lip a bit as she thought about the question. She debated on bringing up her recent struggle or chickening out.

"I…well, I was wondering…Have you ever heard of an affair between a human and a vampire?"

"You dirty rascal." Kate said with a smirk.

"No, I am not engaging in…I mean I was just wondering if it's ever happened." She said defensively.

"Yeah, you ran all the way up here to ask about this in theory. You dirty dog." Kate Teased with a wink. Bella scoffed.

"It has happened. It is frowned upon, not only for the human's safety but for our own." Tanya spoke softly.

"I get why it is for a human, but for us? I mean couldn't we just put a little faith in humanity to not reveal us? If we truly trust the human I mean." Bella debated.

"Well, trust is two-edged sword. Trust in humanity is tricky. Who is to say whether a human will not grow apart from their vampire and reveal our secret?"

"I suppose." Bella said looking at her hands, feeling shame for her affection.

"It's tough. I felt for a human once." Kate said breaking the silence.

"What happened?" Bella questioned sincerely. Kate looked down at her own lap solemnly.

"Well, it was a long time ago. I fell for a man when we lived in the colony. He was just barely a man, but kind and wise beyond his years. He eventually came to know me. To truly know what I am, but he didn't turn from me or fear me. I wanted to make him like us; I wanted that for him so badly. When our country fought for its independence, he joined the fight. He promised to return to me and join me in this life. He didn't make it." She said looking up with glossy tear-less eyes.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry Kate. I wish things had ended up differently for you."

"Me too." She said looking away.

"Bella, have you grown affection for a human?" Tanya asked.

"I think so. We nearly kissed yesterday. I have no clue on how to proceed, if I can. It's not exactly acceptable for us to care for each other in the way that I believe that we do." Bella said a little bitterly.

"Does he know of what you are?" Tanya asked softly as she leaned into the conversation as attentive as ever.

"Well, that's the thing. We could never be. Not in our world or hers." She said without looking her friends in the eye. She grew stiff as she waited for their reaction. It was enough that she was human, but she was also a woman, she was really pushing the envelope.

"Oh, shit Bella, you have really got yourself in deep. I know you love pushing boundaries, but…" Kate said in a half scoff as she burst into laughter.

"Shut up Kate, I didn't ask for this. I didn't want any of this!" Bella snapped back with attitude.

"I'm not judging, I'm just admiring your audacity!" Kate said throwing her hands in the air defensively.

"You are sure that the feelings you have are more than friendly?" Tanya asked remaining serious.

"I've never had these feelings for anyone. It's different from anything I've felt before. I think about her constantly. I worry about how she is, how she thinks of me, and what to say to her. I want to be around her always. It's driving me insane and I don't know what to do." She said rambling hopelessly.

"She shares this affection for you?"

"I wasn't sure. She is my friend, so she naturally likes to talk and be around me. Yesterday we nearly kissed in her room. If her mother hadn't walked in, I am sure that we would have, she wanted to." Bella said remembering the day before in detail. Her dead heart fluttered as she flashed back to the human's bedroom. She could almost smell the girl, her scent that reminded her of lilac, oats and honey. She instinctively took a deep breath feeling disappointment when she could not smell her anymore.

"Dear, I think that what you have with this human is more than friendship. Though it is frowned upon by our world, whom is to truly say that it is wrong? If you should choose to continue to see this girl, neither of your lives will be easy. Unless she is turned, your relationship will not be accepted by our kind and her life will be in constant danger. I'm sure you understand the relationship will not be welcomed by humanity either. They are a primitive and naive people."

"So, it seems my options are to turn her, put her life in danger, or leave?"

"Unfortunately." Tanya said quietly.

"I must leave her then." Bella said without looking up.

They strongly suggested that she give her predicament more thought and consideration. Tanya urged her to consider making the girl a vampire. In their world the two of them would be accepted as a couple once the human was like them.

Bella thanked the sisters for their support but didn't stay long to visit. The Denali understood that she held a heavy heart. Their presence did little to numb her pain or take her thoughts from her predicament. With hugs, Bella left her family in Alaska, with a new pair of shoes made sturdier for running.

As she ran, her thoughts drifted from the blonde to her own change. Rust, leather and men's hair oil flooded her senses for smell. She remembered a man with a dark smile, hair dark and slicked back. His facial features were hard, his jaw pronounces and a thick mustache upon his upper lip. He wore a three-piece suit and a bowler hat, he oozed of money. He stuck out on that street like a sore thumb.

She remembered a busy London street late at night. The damp cobblestones gave the air a distinct smell. The sound of horse carriages and hooves clicked around her like background noise. A man yelled at another a half a block away, it was all so familiar. The man approaching with a hand outstretched. Her hand placed in his, he wore black leather gloves. Him bowing slightly in gesture, lifting his head to peer at her with curious eyes. Her mind flashed to a bar nearby.

The mysterious man bought her a drink, she sat nervously. She was used to working with all sorts of men, but this gentleman had a way about him. He was different, dark and enigmatic. He watched her as she drank, but he did not speak. She laughed nervously and flirted with him. He looked amused in the way that a captor watched a caged animal.

"So, do you know what I am?" She asked with a nervous laugh with a sip of her drink. The bar was busy around them. The tables were made from large wooden barrels. The floor was dirty, much like that area of London in that day. The air smelled of a mixture of alcohol, urine and damp air.

"I do." His voice was deep but musical. He starred at her still, watching her as if she were on the verge of doing something magical. His hat laid beside his arm on the table.

"Is that why we are here?" The man took the bottle of whiskey from beside him and filled her glass again.

"Drink." She did as he said.

"I'm not like the others. I am so much more." She said after clearing the burning from her throat.

"We shall see." He said simply. He took his hat and flipped it upon his head smoothly. In a flash he was on his feet, he gestured for her to come. He was cold, even in his gestures. She clumsily got up and followed his, taking her dress in her hands as to not trip.

The two walked the dim narrow streets together, him leading and her following. She

Walked a pace behind him until they reached a different neighborhood. It was a little more wealthy of a neighborhood, the one adjacent to her own.

"Tell me of your life." His accent was not English. He was American, that was easy to tell as he articulated more.

"Not much to tell. I am more interested in you." She reached for his arm; he shrugged her touch off.

"Don't do that!" He stopped suddenly and grabbed her by the shoulder. His face grew dark, his features severe. He leaned down as he spoke and shook his leather covered finger in her face. "Do not treat me like another client!"

He stood up and straightened his suit, composing himself. He sighed and looked around. She stood still, scared to move or speak.

"Now, I asked you a question."

She shook off the memory as she ran. She was often reminded of him, but she blocked him out of her mind as much as she could. Her own turning had been particularly traumatic, not a memory she enjoyed having. She wished that no one would have to endure such a thing as her. Her thoughts were brought back again to the cold damp street.

She looked up to the buildings that rose above her, the narrow alley offered her and her predator privacy. He was no where to be found, but she was still there, on her back on the hard cobblestone alleyway.

She looked down to see her own body. Her dress was torn from her breasts down to her thigh. Red covered her like a blanket. He arms and hands with cold, she could not feel her feet. Her shaky breath fogged the air.

Heat began to rise within her midsection. She looked to see a mess of things she knew to be her insides pulled from her body. Her stomach felt heat, like a burning so intense it stood out among all her other feelings. She was dazed but a small cry escaped her lips in response.

Suddenly, beside her was a man with white blonde hair. He looked down at her with black eyes his mouth agape in horror. She attempted to move away from him, her arms weakly flailing. Her response was feral and useless. He knelt beside her and looked on in amazement, she should have been dead already. He brushed her hair back sweetly, taking in the damage she had accumulated. He reached for her to scoop her into his arms, her world went black.

If she could cry a tear would have escape her eye. She could never have that release, however. She pulled her thoughts from her own turning to the task at hand. She could never let the blonde feel anything remotely similar. She would do her best to protect her at all costs. Her mind bounced back and forth between leaving her to live a normal life and staying to serve as a protector, letting herself feel for her. She was almost just as lost as when she had come to the Denali a day earlier. Still her feet moved forward, pushing to get back to her.


	9. Oh! Darling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella is in a pickle. Misunderstandings and Tactless speech have her feeling heartbreak. What's worse is that she isn't the only one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of you wonderful and well thought out comments. I appreciate you and hope you are enjoying this! Please keep up the comments!

A couple moose and a grizzly later, Bella crossed the final stretch into New York. She took more care to keep her outfit from getting ripped or stained with blood. She almost kept her garments clean, aside from one small stain over her shoulder from a stubborn moose that refuse to give up his fight. She sighed as she inspected the stain.

It was just before sundown when Bella reached her family's house. She gingerly made her way up to their door, fully expecting the third degree for skipping town without notice. She hesitated before turning the handle to the door, but it was no use. Her family already knew she was there with their advanced senses. What she did not expect was the strong smell of lilac, oats and honey that breached her nose once she opened the front door.

The smell hit her like a comforting wave, making her feel at ease after a long few days of tense internal struggle. She closed the door quietly, still attempting to sneak her way to her room. She turned around to see her Carlisle sitting in his chair with Esme resting her hip on the arm, both staring in surprise at her arrival.

Across from the couple was the most beautiful sight Bella had seen in days, Rosalie. She sat alone on the large couch, making her smaller frame appear even smaller. Her golden hair was up in a pony tail; her clothes made Bella believe she had come to the house straight from cheer practice. She was on the edge of her seat and appeared to be uncomfortable. She bit her lip as she her eyes met Bella's.

Without a thought, Bella gave the girl a crooked smile. Her mind didn't work; it didn't analyze why the blonde would be there, or why she would seem so uncomfortable. Her oblivious smile faded when it was met with Rosalie's furrowed brows and pursed lips.

"Bella dear, we were just talking about you and your sickness." Esme said hinting to Bella to play along.

"We did not expect you to come home tonight, I thought I made my orders clear for you to remain one more night in the clinic?" Carlisle continued the lie.

"Hey Rose…Rosalie." Bella said stupidly. She scratched the back of her head awkwardly as she stood in the foyer.

The blonde turned her eyes away from Bella, her face worn pain and angst. She bounced her knee in agitation while she thought about how to respond. Finally, she stood up and walked towards Bella, pulling at her arm as she passed her.

"We need to talk." She said blankly as she dragged the vampire outside. She didn't let go of her arm until they were outside, down the stairs and in the gravel driveway. Rosalie let go of her arm, swinging around to face Bella with determination.

"I am sorry I didn't tell you…I was sic.."

"What the hell is going on, Bella?" The blonde cut her off angrily.

"I'm sure my parents told you? Look, I'm sorry, you must have worried, but I am okay now." Bella still tried to keep her cover.

"Cut the bull! I know you weren't sick." She said crossing her arms giving Bella an icy glare.

"How would you know?" The vampire asked dumbly. She was having a hard time defending herself.

"I gave your family a ring the night you left to make sure you returned home safe. Things were so odd when you left, I felt I should try to reach out. Esme said you hadn't gotten home yet, but it had been two hours. The next day you didn't show up to school, I came to the house but no one answered. I checked with the hospital and they hadn't treated you, so unless you went out of town for some oddball illness…" She said angrily. Bella sensed something beneath the anger; she could see that Rosalie had been worried. She had bags under her eyes and the usual light aura she gave off was dim. When she gestured with her hands her nails were short and uneven. She had been biting them.

"Rosalie…" Bella said looking to the ground, she swallowed hard. Her eyes furrowed with pain as guilt permeated her.

"What is it? Please swear to me that you were truly sick and now you are better. Tell me I am crazy. Tell me that I have just over analyzed and that I we are okay. Please tell me that this isn't all just a front…Please tell me that I didn't…" Her face softened. She wasn't angry anymore. Her anger faded to pure worry, to insecurity. Her violet eyes welled and became red. She didn't look at Bella; she couldn't face her and get the answer to her unspoken question.

"I…" Bella let out a sigh, feeling the pain come up her throat like vomit. "I wasn't sick."

"So, it was me?" She turned back to face her with her arms open. Her welled eyes released the tears they had been harboring. "God, I am so stupid! I'm just so fucking stupid." The blonde said with hurt and pain evident in her voice. She couldn't face the vampire; she turned her back to her, hiding her face in her hand. She let her hand grip the crown of her of her hair as she began to cry harder. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have…" She said softly, without turning she grabbed her bicycle. She ran beside her bike before swinging her leg over the bar mid stride to mount it.

The blonde pedaled fast as she left, tears streamed down her face. Dust kicked up from the gravel quickly shifting underneath its tires and before Bella knew it, dust was all that was left in her view. The human used her elbow to wipe away the tears, but nothing could stop the sound of her sobbing from reaching Bella's ears. Bella stood unsure of what to do until she couldn't hear the girl anymore.

Overcome with frustration and anger, the vampire kicked the gravel outside the house harshly. She grabbed a branch that had fallen into the yard and threw it as hard as she could. The branch cracked loudly against a trunk on the far side of the yard.

"God damn it Bella!" She scolded herself as she fell to her knees.

"Are you going to go after her?" A stern voice called out from the porch. There stood Carlisle, leaning against the post. Bella turned her head slightly. Her back still facing the patriarch.

"For what? We can't be." She said looking back at the path that her human had just taken.

"Who says that?" He said approaching her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Neither her society or ours would accept us."

"Since when do you care about such things? The Bella I know doesn't give a damn about society." He spoke blankly.

"The Bella you know doesn't care about anyone. Rosalie is fragile, I can't have her hurt."

"I think she is already hurt. We will figure out a way. I can see the light she brings to your eyes. I need you to hold on to that, I need you to be happy." He spoke softly as he knelt beside her. He kept his hand on her should but looked into her eyes with sincerity. He had always cared so much.

"That's selfish." She said as she hung her head, her hair made a curtain to her side.

"Perhaps. We will protect your secret; no one will have to know about you two. Love will find a way, Bella."

"So how do I fix this then?" She asked as she looked at the hands in her lap.

"Go get the girl." He said as he patted her shoulder. He stood up, turned and went inside, leaving Bella still on her knees in the gravel. She wanted to make things right again, but she didn't know how. She couldn't stand knowing the girl was hurt, but she couldn't help but feel she would make it worse.

Her fear of the rules, society and being vulnerable somehow seemed trivial. If she did not act, Rosalie would haunt her thoughts, and consume her mind even more than she had. She couldn't let her hurt; she had to try to make things better. She ran to Esme's garden, picking one of her prized flowers before setting off for town.

She ran quickly, deciding on a more direct route. She ran through the forest, ducking under branches, dodging rocks and trees. She leapt with ease over a wide river on her way. She made it out of the tree line before she slowed her pace. For the last three blocks she ran at a human pace.

Once she arrived, she saw Rosalie's bike outside her house. It had been dropped on its side, which was uncharacteristic of her. She took so much pride in her shiny bike, upset even at the idea of a scratch on it. The bike reminded her of the heavy emotions Rosalie held and that those pains were because of her. Her dead heart sank at the thought. She looked down to the flower in her hand, feeling stupid for thinking the small gesture could possibly make things better.

She took in a breath; her scent faintly filled her nose. She could tell she was still there, inside the house. She approached the front door and gave it three soft knocks. Within a brief moment the door swung open to reveal an older man. He was in his late forties, hair salt and pepper gray combed and gelled to one side. He had a thin straight mustache over his top lip. He had Rosalie's eyes, though his were worn, the light that Rosalie had in hers was not as prominent in his. He gave a faint smile, his expression almost never changing from serious.

"Can I help you?" He said cordially, forcing himself to be polite.

"I am Bella, a friend of Rosalie's. I was wondering if I might speak to her?" Bella said innocently, hoping she had not shared her troubles with him. She doubted she would share something so private and controversial with him.

"She is not available right now. I'll tell her you called on her." He said as he shut the door.

"Nice to meet you too, sir." She whispered under her breath.

Knowing where her window was, she made her way to the side of the house. She could hear the blonde in her room. Her heart rate was quick, her breathing was scattered. She sobbed quietly, she sounded muffled.

Bella looked for a small pebble, finally coming across one in the thick green grass. She tossed it up to hit the girl's window perfectly. A quiet clack sounded as it hit and fell back to the ground. The vampire waited for the sound of footsteps; her ear inclined. She heard nothing.

Again, she picked up the pebble, throwing it a little harder, careful not to break the window. A louder clack sounded as the rock hit the glass. This time she heard the blonde's bed creak as her weight shifted. Within seconds she threw the rock once more.

The girl came to the window, she looked out to examine the darkness below her. Bella could see the redness in her eyes. The girl finally saw her and opened the window. A loud creak came from her window as she slid it open. Bella could see her face trying its hardest to mask the tears she had just freely let fall from her eyes.

"What do you want, Bella?" She said with a quiver in her voice. She sniffled lightly. Bella had never seen the blonde this vulnerable.

"I was hoping we could talk?" The vampire said trying to resist the urge to jump the distance to the window and comfort her.

"I don't think there is much else to say."

"Can you just open the door, please?" She asked desperately. Her patience for keeping her human facade up was wearing thin.

The girl hesitated for a moment before closing the window. Bella listened for her movement. She heard the creak of the bed again; as the blonde sat down to give herself a chance to compose herself. Bella's dead heart began to worry that the girl would deny her request. Just as she reached for another pebble, she heard the girl get up from the bed again. She started walking through the house and down her stairs. Bella hurried to the front door before the blonde could get there. She opened the door; her expression was severe. She walked away towards the stairs without greeting the vampire.

As the two passed the living room she made eye contact with the man that had shut the door on her earlier. He pursed his lips and furrowed his brow. She saw him get up from his sitting chair to approach them, but before he could speak Rosalie held out her hand and gestured for him to stop.

"I'm fine, really." She said dismissively. He sat back down with a heavy sigh and reopened his paper. His eyes followed Bella's figure until they were out of sight. Bella followed her to her room, shutting the door carefully behind her. The vampire stood against the door awkwardly after she had shut it. When the blonde had sat on the bed she decided to join her. She sat next to Rosalie on the bed; the two were silent for a minute before Bella spoke.

"I wasn't sick."

"You have made that point clear." Rosalie said without looking at her. Her voice sounded cold and hurt. Bella winced at her lack of tact and thought frantically about how to explain herself.

"I wasn't avoiding you, at least not for the reasons you think… I am not good at this." She said the last thought more to herself. She looked to the human, seeing no signs of the girl softening, she knew she had to try harder. "I was seeing a friend of the family."

"You disappeared! Right after we…" the girl stopped before she let herself try to explain what had so obviously changed between them. She swallowed hard, changing the direction in the conversation. "I scared you."

"You didn't! I promise, I just needed to think."

"You just left, you let me believe I scared you away."

Bella allowed herself to look at her from the corner of her eye. The blonde had a single tear falling from her cheek. She didn't wipe it, but let it fall and drip from her jaw. It landed on her hand in her own lap. Her thumb idly brushed it away. Her face seemed frozen in thought.

"I didn't mean to; I wasn't sure what to do or say. I wish you could understand how complex this is for me." Bella said. Rosalie's jaw flexed, hardening in slight anger.

"I can have any guy I want. I could call any one of those boys at the school right now. I could call them and any one of them would jump at the chance to be with me, not that I would stoop to such a ridiculous stunt." Rosalie stood up from the bed with fury, she firmly pointed to the floor making her point. "I am a fucking Hale." She said as more tears streamed down her face. Bella could see the insecurity overpower her mock confidence.

"I know you can." Bella said softly. She was aware that Rosalie could have anyone she wanted. Bella knew that she was technically desirable as a vampire; it had its powers in that department. She however had no doubts that the blonde was far more attractive than her, even with her own enhanced appearance. Not only did she exceed her in the physical aspect, she was nearly perfect in all other aspects too.

"I can't believe I made myself look like such a fool. I thought each time you were here… I thought you cared for me like I cared for you." The blonde said with her features soft again. Her voice was quiet. She rested on the edge of the bed once more. She was vulnerable, vulnerable in a way Bella had never allowed herself to be. Bella envied her courage and her strength. She felt her control slipping, she worried that she was losing the girl to her own thoughts.

She looked to the blonde, seeing her deep in thought as she bit her lip. Bella's nerves climbed, the angst within her made her chest tight. She could think of nothing to say, her fear was overwhelming. She wanted to hold her until her tears had dried and run away at the same time.

Her body led the way, silencing her spiraling thoughts. Her hand reached out to touch Rosalie's cheek. The blonde looked up out of her own thoughts, and though she shivered slightly at her touch she leaned into her hand. In one fluid motion Bella slid closer to the human, leaned forward and pushed her lips onto the blonde's.

Bella's lips pressed hard on the blonde's as she let her passion overcome her. All of her worry and angst were expressed in the kiss. The blonde instinctually flinched back a little in shock. She lifted her other hand to capture the girl's other cheek. She kissed her firmly while she held her in her grasp. The blonde overcame her initial shock and kissed the vampire back.

The blonde's lips parted as she moved her lips along Bella's. Her firm posture loosened as she let herself give into Bella more and more. Their kiss evolved as their lips danced together for what felt like eternity until Bella broke away from her. What felt like forever now felt too short. Bella's lips longed to be back on the blonde's but she needed to voice herself.

"I like you, Rosalie." Bella said as she opened her eyes to see the angel she craved.

Rosalie's hands gripped Bella's shirt and pulled the vampire close to her lips again without another word. Their lips locked for another kiss, this time the blonde released Bella from her hold. She held her forehead against Bella's and laughed lightly.

"Of all the ways I expected this night to go…" She said with a smile. She looked to her hand on Bella's chest, feeling the fabric under her fingertips as her expression changed. "Bella? Are you okay? There is blood on your shirt."

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay. It is nothing." Bella said taking her hand off of the dried bloodstain. Rosalie wiggled her hand out of Bella's stubbornly as she reached to pull back the dress to reveal the spot of skin under the blood. She examined the skin, seeing no wound she met Bella's eyes questioningly.

"What happened?"

"It wasn't me, I mean, obviously. Look, there is more we need to talk about." She said with regret as their moment of passion was suddenly over.

"I'll say. What happened, is everyone okay?" She said seeming concerned.

"Everyone is fine, really. Maybe we could talk tomorrow? Your father seems like he doesn't want me here. Speaking of, he is back?"

"He is just concerned because I came home upset. He got home while you were gone." She said with a small smile. "We are probably going to have dinner tomorrow, but after that we could go to the diner for a shake and talk?"

"I'd probably prefer if it were more private." Bella said as she thought of the possible reactions Rosalie could have to hearing that she was not human.

"We could talk here?" She suggested.

"How about tomorrow afternoon? Do you want to go for a drive?" She asked as she thought of a few places she could take her as they talked.

"Sure, I'd love that. I have a few things I wanted to talk about with you as well."

As Bella left from Rosalie's bedroom, she gave her a small kiss on her cheek and handed her the rose she had kept from her sight. Rosalie blushed as she took the flower and smelled it.

"As cheesy as it may sound, these are my favorite." She said as she smelled the flower. Bella smile satisfied that she had made her feel better, it was a stark contrast from the girl she had seen crying just hours earlier.


	10. Graveyard Whistling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella finds herself in yet another pickle. What do you do when your affection is is threatened and you have no choice but to reveal your biggest secret? I guess you kick ass and try to do damage control. Bella has never really been that good at damage control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't listen to Nothing But Thieves, well you should. I know one of my other chapter titles were by them and this is too. They are great and have depth to their songs. 
> 
> I'm so happy you all are liking the story. I am working on being more descriptive, I think its getting better. I hope you enough the subtle humor in this chapter and keep commenting! Cheers.

The next day Bella spent the better half of the morning getting ready. She washed and waxed her car, paying attention to every detail. She took a trip to the grocery store, something that was an odd affair. She had consulted Esme on the human food preparation, as she had always been interested. She gave her some items to buy and helped her with the food preparation.

She took a shower and shaved above the knees for the first time in, well ever. She did her hair and makeup and changed outfits three times before deciding on trendy blue jean pants and a plaid button-down shirt that she knotted at her waist where her jeans ended. Had she been in LA she might have been confused for Katherine Hepburn. Her red lipstick was enough to make any guy swoon.

She was all that an independent thirties woman wanted to be in her convertible on the way to see Rosalie. An anomaly for a high school student such as herself. The breeze blew through her loose curled hair; she outstretched her hand to feel the wind move through her fingers. Nothing could dampen her mood. She had blocked out from her mind the angst that awaited her during her conversation about her true identity.

When she picked up Rosalie, she had brought her a rose from Esme's garden once again. She couldn't decide if she liked the irony of the flower or hated how obvious it was. When she pulled up the blonde was waiting on the top step of the porch. She sat with her arms wrapped around her legs.

When she stood up Bella noticed that she was wearing a Sunday style dress with sandals. She had expected her to dress slightly more athletic, but then again, a dress was athletic for much of the female population in the nineteen thirties. Bella got out of the car to open the car door for the girl, handing her another rose picked from Esme's garden. Rosalie gave her a hug and smiled as she smelled the flower. The vampire decided she liked the irony of the flower after all.

Once they had pulled out of the neighborhood and onto the main street Bella asked her if she understood that they were going for a hike. Rosalie laughed in response and began to pull her dress up. She shifted many times in the seat as she pulled the dress up from under her rear. Bella looked to her other side, feeling awkward about the girl.

"Rosalie!" She said as she turned her head away.

"Bella, I'm wearing clothes under it." She said rolling her eyes. When Bella looked back, she saw that the girl had on high waist shorts that met her thigh midway down and a polo shirt tucked in.

"Oh, Well, why didn't you just wear those to begin with?" Bella questioned. Bella was used to the girls in southern California being a little more liberal with their fashion.

"My father and mother would both kill me if they knew I had a pair of these! It's my first time getting to wear them." She said proudly looking down at her bare legs. "What do you think?"

If Bella could blush, she would have. She was used to girls wearing those sorts of things, but not Rosalie. Rosalie could cause a car to wreck from walking the sidewalk in those. She swallowed hard at the question and positioned her grip on the wheel anxiously.

"I…They look nice." She said with a small stutter. Rosalie laughed lightly as she turned to look out the side at the town as they drove. She knew she was gorgeous, she just found amusement in causing such reactions.

Bella tuned into the radio as they drove while the two of them kept their conversation light. Rosalie let her arm rest on the side door, waving her hand in the flow of the wind. She seemed to enjoy the little bits of sunshine that threatened to break through the clouds. Bella was thankful that the sun didn't shine as brightly as much as Rosalie wanted it to.

It took them just forty or so minutes to get to the trail head. Bella had already been to the trail and to the falls that they were hiking to. She decided on it because in the couple times she had gone she had never seen another hiker. They parked along the road, just off to the side. Bella reached into the back cubby behind the driver's seat for the basket that she packed for them.

Once they were on the trail for a few minutes Bella began to feel the angst of their impending talk. She looked to Rosalie who met her eyes; the two of them seemed to share the same thought. Rosalie laughed at Bella's worried look, knowing that she was nervous.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?" Rosalie asked.

"It seems like you might have something on your mind?" Bella deflected the question.

"Well…I can wait."

"You first." Bella said quickly. She was hoping for more time. The blonde quirked her brow at the vampire. She played along, clearly not feeling as nervous as her companion.

"I was wondering if you might have some sort of condition." She said looking at the trail in front of them. As if she realized how blunt and insensitive that may have sounded, she went on. "I mean… I hope you know that I care for you, you can tell me if you do."

"What? What are you talking about?" Bella asked curiously.

"Your hands have always been so cold. I figured you just had poor circulation. Your lips were just as cold though." The blonde blushed slightly at the mention of her lips. Bella smiled to herself. "Also, you are white as a ghost. I know some people are very white, but you come from California, so I figured maybe you have something. You hardly have an appetite, which can mean illness. I don't mean to be rude; I just didn't know if you wanted to talk to anyone about it?"

Bella let out a laugh. She was impressed with the blonde's observational talents. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain to her what she was, but at least the girl was concerned for her. She looked at the ground in front of them as she thought about what to say. A small smile remained in her expression.

"Do you think I am being funny?" Rosalie asked a little impatient and concerned. Her expression was less apprehensive then, she was shocked instead.

"No, not at all. I was just impressed by your observations. I'm not sick, not really." She said with another small laugh.

"Well?" She asked with a dramatic roll of her hand that begged her to go on.

"I don't know how to explain this. It's what I wanted to talk to you about." Her nerves climbed once again. "I just want you to understand that I will never hurt you. Please remember that. It's really complicated and I'm not sure what you will think of me when I…" Bella stopped in the middle of the trail.

Rosalie kept up her pace for a couple steps before realizing that Bella was no longer next to her. She turned to see Bella's stance stiff like she was statue. Her nostrils flared and her eyes were dark. Rosalie gave her a look of question, before realizing something was wrong. "Bella?"

Bella's eyes twitched to meet Rosalie's at inhuman speed. She held up one figure to silently ask her to wait. Her body didn't move, but her head tilted back as she smelled the air around them with her eyes closed. She took a large, deep breath and opened her eyes in alarm.

She heard a light crack of a nearby twig, her heard shot quickly to look at the forest near the sound. Her head snapped back to Rosalie who was looking at her with immense worry and fright. She mouthed 'get down.' Rosalie slowly unlocked her knees and crouched down to the forest floor with her palms open.

As she knelt a loud movement came from the behind her. A large bobcat emerged out of the bush in the air towards the blonde. In an instant, Bella jumped to tackle the cat above Rosalie's head. A loud thump sounded as the vampire landed on top of the feline just five or so feet from the human. Although the movements were fast, inhumanely fast, Rosalie could see Bella fending off the cat's claws with her own hands.

The large black paw reached sharply for her head and shoulder. Her skin cracked when the claws racked against her neck. Another scrape tore the vampires pants just above her right knee; Bella paused slightly to see the hole, her arms holding the cat at bay, before going back to trying to pin the animal down. She growled in frustration.

"Bella!" Rosalie half cried breathlessly.

She placed a firm hand in the cat's mouth, grasping its top jaw as it was the only place, she could firmly hold its head back to expose its neck. The bobcat's jaws closed hard on her hand, causing her to wince and growl deeply.

Rosalie watched in shock as Bella didn't hesitate to bite and rip a piece of the cat's flesh from his own neck. The beast let out a sharp cry as she pulled the skin away from its body. She spit the flesh out to the side but went back to the same spot to connect her teeth once more.

She kept her mouth connected to the cat's neck for a moment until it had stopped struggling against her. Rosalie watched as the light faded from the beast's eyes. Her mouth hung open, her body was frozen in a crouched position and expression was nothing but horror.

Bella's eyes were as dark as the night sky when she looked at Rosalie. She released the large cat's neck, its body limp on the forest floor. She slowly stood up, trying to be as calm as she could. She could sense the fear and shock in the human. Her mouth was covered in blood and her clothes were scuffed and dirty.

"Rosalie…" Bella said holding out her palm towards the horrified girl. She gestured cautiously as she took a slow step towards her, aware of intense fear in her eyes.

Rosalie stood slightly and took a couple of slow steps away from Bella, moving her eyes back to the dead bobcat then to Bella. The vampire still had blood on the sides of her mouth and a smudge of blood on her neck. Her shirt was torn and hanging off her right shoulder. The blonde turned and ran out of instinct.

Bella watched her run from her, her hands moved to grasp the top of her own head, anxiously running her fingers through her hair she questioned what she should do. She cursed herself for the way she revealed herself to the blonde, who was now in fear of her life. The girl was literally running from her, the irony of her first real attempt at love life was not lost on her.

"Fuck." She said as she kicked a log in frustration. She then jogged after her fleeing affection.

The human ran as fast as she could through the forest, not knowing how she was going to escape. Her mind didn't examine the situation. All she could see was the image of Bella ripping into the Bobcat's neck. She screamed for help as she ran.

A rock covered in leaves tripped the blonde, causing her to tumble to the ground. She grasped the dirt, and pulled herself to her feet again in panic. Her shin was badly scraped but she didn't stop running.

Bella followed at a distance, trying to catch up at a human pace. She stopped for a minute when Rosalie scraped her shin. She felt her eyes going dark again and the burn in her throat once more but shook off the thirst with some concentration. She circled around to come out of the brush in front of the Blonde. She stopped the hobbling girl mid stride.

The girl backed up in surprise, fumbling over a log and falling back onto her rear. She scrambled to her feet again; limping each time she put a little weight on her scraped leg. Bella's eyes twitched to watch the blood trickle down the girl's leg. She tightened her jaw and focused on calming her thirst. She needed to appear in control. She could never hurt Rosalie, but her thirst was still a reality to her.

"Rose, it's okay. I am not going to hurt you. Please, let me help you." She said with her hands up in a pacifying gesture.

Rosalie let out a scream for help. Tears began to stream down her face.

"Don't fucking touch me." She gritted through her teeth, her face was in anguish and terror. Her tears made two lines of clear skin on her dirty face. She grabbed a stick and pointed it at Bella defensively.

"Rosalie…Please? Try to calm down. I just did that to protect you. Do you really think I'm going to…"

"I just saw you rip that…you just…" She said as she obstinately refused the vampire.

"I need you to trust me. I promise you with everything within me that I will not hurt you. That animal was going to kill you." She said calmly as she took small slow steps towards the blonde.

Rosalie let out another cry for help and stabbed the stick into Bella's stomach when she got close. The stick broke against Bella's hard stomach. Bella looked down to the broken stick, still in Rosalie's hand. The blonde's face was in shock again. Bella put her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. She sighed in frustration.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Just drop the… weapon." Bella said stifling a smirk at her choice of words.

"I need you to give me space. I can't think." She said exasperated. Her breathing was ragged in her chest. She was at the brink of hyperventilation. Bella wished she could calm her.

"I can do that. I understand that was a lot to process. I was hoping to tell you, I hoped you would never see anything like that." She said as she gestured to where they came from.

"Just be quiet!" Rosalie said breathlessly. Her expression was mostly unreadable. She was still in horror but it had changed slightly. Bella worried she was going into shock. She sat down on a log nearby and watched her. Rosalie's face fell into a daze slowly over the next few moments. Her mind reeled itself into shock.

"Rosalie, I'm getting worried about you." Bella said finally. "Please take deep breaths for me."

The blonde's face snapped out of its blank expression. She turned her eyes to look at Bella, taking in the brunette sitting before her. She seemed to see her for the first time, noticing details about her that made her different. The darkness under her eyes that never seemed to leave, her pale skin, her flawless skin and golden honey eyes.

"What are you?" She asked impatiently.

Bella swallowed unnecessarily and looked to her lap. She wrung her hands as she thought of a way to explain herself to a girl who was terrified of her. She sighed heavily.

"It's complicated."

"Please, just stop toying with me! What are you?" Rosalie stared dangers into her as she waited for a response. Bella cleared her throat and looked away from her fiery gaze.

"Some call us cold ones, others bloodsuckers, demons, moroi, Lamia Sanguine, but we prefer Vampire."

Rosalie's eyes went wide. Bella could see the realization hitting her. Her gaze fell away from Bella. She had no idea of what she thought vampires were, but she assumed it was highly inaccurate. She witnessed one smaller tear fall from her left eye and stream down her cheek.

"You are going to kill me." She stated hopelessly.

"No…I could never…Please believe me when I tell you I would never do anything to hurt you."

"You brought me out here." She said as she looked around the empty woods. "You plan to drink my blood. No one can hear us out here."

"No! I would never!" Bella stood up quickly. Rosalie flinched away from her further. Bella felt a pang of guilt over her passion. She sat back down carefully. "I care about you. I would protect you. Listen, I don't know what your idea of a vampire is, but I assure you it is not completely accurate."

Rosalie thought for a minute, finally she nodded her head. She sat down on a rock, her adrenaline wearing off and pain setting in.

"Can I?" Bella said as she gestured to her leg.

"Feed off my wound?" Rosalie spat out.

"Of course not." Bella pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "I want to take a look at it."

The blonde sighed and nodded her head apprehensively. Bella slid off her rock and approached slowly. She knelt down and touched the skin around the abrasion softly.

"We need to clean this." She said still looking at her leg.

Rosalie nodded quietly.

"I'm going to carry you. I can run faster than you can hobble. Will you trust me?"

Rosalie looked away with a scoff.

"Either you trust me or you can hobble back into town. Who knows how bad your leg will be then…" Bella stood up and shrugged. The blonde thought for a moment, finally she sighed.

"Fine." Rosalie said through her teeth. Bella smiled smugly. She found this bratty version of Rosalie endearing.

Bella held out her hand, Rosalie sighed again and took her hand. She allowed her to hoist her up to her feet; her bad leg barely took any of her weight. Bella scooped her up bridle style, startling Rosalie.

"Can you close your eyes for me? I'm going to run and it will most likely make you dizzy." Bella asked as she held her.

"I will be fine." She said stubbornly. Bella shrugged and smirked in amusement at the obstinate girl.

She ran slowly at first but gained speed gradually, trying to ease Rosalie into her inhuman speed. She let her eyes flicker back and forth to examine her expression periodically. The blonde's face grew pale before she finally closed her eyes. Bella laughed at her stubbornness.

"I'm fine." She barked out when she heard the laugh.

Bella lept over rocks and branches with grace as she ran. Within minutes they reached the destination they were supposed to have hiked to. She slowed gradually as they approached the clearing.

A massive cliff towered above the two with a wide flowing waterfall. The water crashed and filtered off several layers of flat rock on its way down from the top. In front of them was a deep pool of water that trickled into a river just twenty or so yards away from them. Trees hugged closely to the clearing, making the spot a secluded paradise.

Rosalie opened her eyes to the view and her jaw dropped in amazement. The mist of the waterfall lightly teased her face as Bella walked her to the edge of the pool below. The vampire slowly laid Rosalie down to sit on the bank of the water. The human noted that the creature seemed to take great care in making sure she was eased down.

Without noticing Rosalie watching her, Bella knelt in front of her with a serious expression. She gently took her ankle in her hand the other scooped water up from the edge of the edge of the bank. She moved her hand over Rosalie's leg and let the water trickle down her shin, brushing away dirt lightly with her thumb after.

Rosalie sucked a deep breath in through gritted teeth at the water hitting her leg. The wound stung slightly but was icy to her burning scrape. Her leg flinched back with instinct but the vampire held it firmly. Her eyes met Bella's as she worked to clear her wound.

"Baby." Bella teased lightly.

"Sure, it's easy to be critical when you have skin as tough as yours." She rolled her eyes. Bella tilted her head in surprise, questioning to herself how she knew. Rosalie seemed to understand her thoughts. "The stick. Also, you didn't bleed when the bobcat got you." She said tugging at the rip in her pants.

"Ah." Bella said in realization. "Well, tough skin doesn't exactly capture it. You are right though about it though, I don't bleed. I don't get sick and I don't die easily." She said with a comforting smile.

"So, you can kill easy but won't die. I'll remember that if I ever try to break up with you." Rosalie retorted without thought. Bella stopped her movements to look at her again. Bella was surprised beyond belief. She did a poor job of hiding her expression. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to assume. It's not like we really could."

"We couldn't?" Bella asked out of curiosity for the blonde's reasoning.

"Well, you aren't even…" She stopped to think on how she would proceed. "Not because of the…I mean we could never be more than friends in public. We are both girls, after all." She said.

"Right." Bella said with a toothless smile, she was feeling less hopeful about their situation. She wasn't sure about what she expected. She understood and agreed that dating in public would be unheard of. It still hurt her to hear it. "I think you should be fine. It should heal just fine now that you don't have little rocks in it. Just be careful and wash it every day."

"Alright Doc." Rosalie said a little sarcastically. Bella shrugged.

"You pick up a few things when you live with a doctor for years."

Rosalie hummed in understanding. "Just how many years are we talking? You said you can't die."

"I said it's harder to kill me." Bella corrected her. She let a moment pass while she finished examining her leg before answering her. "I was born in 1868, I think."

"You think? Were you born a vampire?" Rosalie tilted her head in confusion. She was closer to her normal pleasant self.

"I was born very poor. Record keeping wasn't that great back then. I was born a human, just like you." She said as she ripped a piece of her sleeve off and tied it around Rosalie's leg. She sat down next to the blonde. "Oh shoot. I left the basket back there. Can you give me about a couple minutes?"

"Um, sure?"

"Okay, just don't attract any more beasts, okay? Call out if you hear anything that doesn't come from the direction I'm going." She said as she jumped up from the ground. Rosalie nodded and before she could process what Bella was doing, she was gone.

Rosalie only had a couple minutes to think before Bella reached her again. She blurred to a stop with the picnic basket in hand and a large smile. The scene was enough to make Rosalie laugh a little. Bella thought to herself that she might be making progress.

Bella laid out a large thick plaid blanket that closely matched her shirt. She picked up Rosalie gently and placed her back down on the blanket. She then proceeded to dispense the items of the basket onto the blanket.

"Thank you." Rosalie said while she watched Bella move the food around the blanket.

"For what?"

"All of this. Also, for saving my life."

"Anytime. And now that you know my big secret, I don't have to eat this disgusting food I made us." She said with a sigh and a smile. She handed Rosalie a plate with corn, a roll and a chicken salad sandwich.

"That brings me to another question. You can eat food; I have seen you do it. You don't like it then?" She said taking the plate of food and taking a bite of the roll.

"It tastes about as good as dirt tastes to you, I'm sure. I can technically eat it, but I have to throw it up later or it will begin to rot inside me, which causes horrible breath by the way."

"That's…gross." Rosalie said nodding her head in understanding. "So, you have to drink blood?"

"I will grow weaker and hungrier if I try to last long period without it. A vampire loses its control when they are extremely hungry, even the best can struggle when they starve themselves."

"So… how many…people have you killed?" She questioned slowly, afraid of the answer. Bella grew anxious and guilt stricken at the question. She looked to her own fidgeting hands.

"I don't really know if it's good that you know. I already struggle with my image in your eyes." She said with hesitation, never looking into Rosalie's eyes as she spoke.

"You say you will not hurt me. I have no other option than to trust that right now. If we are being honest, then be honest. I am trying to understand you." She said as she took a bite of her sandwich. Bella let out a deep sigh, knowing she was about to give in to the blonde's pressure.

"Well, I struggled in the beginning. I wasn't brought up in the best way and my turning was traumatic. I harbored a lot of anger and hate. My hope in humanity was lost long before my turning. I killed my last victim in 1901, bringing my total to five."

"Is it hard?" Rosalie asked after a moment of thinking.

"What?"

"Not killing."

"It is a struggle, much like an addiction. You grow used to being without it and coping. The burning urge never goes away though. It's mind over matter."

"Do you feel guilt over it?"

Bella turned to look into Rosalie's violet eyes. "Everyday."

Both sat unsure of how to move forward. Rosalie thought of what to say, but nothing seemed to fit. They sat and listened to the water fall and splash. Rosalie let everything settle in. She saw the girl inside the vampire, the girl she knew before today. The realization eased into her with the sinking of her heart.

Bella could not help her existence more than Rosalie could keep the sun from shining. Rosalie thought over what she told her about her past and about the girl she had come to know. She felt her affection for her coming back as she let memories of her time with her reel in her mind.

Rosalie reached out her hand and tentatively placed it on Bella's knee. She lowered her head slightly to gesture for Bella to meet her eyes. Her voice was low and soft when she spoke.

"I don't think you are a monster."


	11. Black Magic Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Bella might have had a bumpy coming out to Rosalie. It's a good thing she is charming and disarming because that was a close one. Rosalie seeks answers to some questions, pity for her "injury" and Bella is ready to oblige. Edward confronts Bella with his own brand of patience, while Esme tries to calm the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter that serves as a bridge to more development. The chapter title is another of my favorite songs, and it indeed works for both Rosalie and Bella's feelings. What are they anyways? Maybe those two will figure things out, maybe they don't care as long as they can keep stealing glances at each other. Bella has sure started to soften in her attitude, I guess that is bound to happen when you feel what she feels for the first time in...well...forever.

The sky began to create a yellow and pink melody. After a while it darkened to a deep red mixed with pink. The two of them had sat in peaceful silence watching the sky change colors over top of the trees until Rosalie began to shiver. Bella carried the girl back to the car then.

She drove her home, playing the radio along the way, contemplating the turn of events throughout the day. The road was dark ahead then, her headlights were the only light in the darkness. Rosalie broke her from her thoughts when she asked how she fed.

"I only feed on animals now. I am what Carlisle calls a 'Vegetarian.'" Rosalie laughed a little at remark.

"So is Carlisle?"

"My entire family is."

"Oh lord, and they all ate food for dinner for me?" She questioned with a blush.

"It wasn't pretty later on." Bella joked.

"So, what else is there to being a vampire?" She asked, not sure of exactly what else to question.

"Hmm…Well, I am cold. It's because I am no longer warm blooded. I can be just as comfortable in the arctic as in the hot desert. I don't sleep. I don't age. I am pretty strong and very fast. We are generally more attractive than our human selves. We don't change drastically; we are just enhanced in our appearance and smell.

"What about the morphing into a bat? Can you fly?" She asked genuinely, Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't change into a bat or fly, and I can be around garlic." She answered simply.

"You don't sleep? Not even in a coffin?" She asked.

"Yeah, I figured you would think of me like Dracula. No, I have all the time in the world to live, literally. Well, I guess that's not true. I am not technically living anymore." She said lightheartedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I am 'undead.' It's a term that basically means I am stuck in place, never aging, feeling the pain of illness or death. I stay the same while the world turns around me, changing every day."

"I am not sure if that is a blessing or a curse." Rosalie said sympathetically.

"Me either." Bella responded with bitterness in her voice. Both watched the road in silence for a few moments.

"I need a favor of you. I don't blame you if you need time to think about us. I don't blame you if you never want to speak to me again, but I need you to keep our existence a secret." Bella said. Her expression was serious, more than Rosalie had seen before.

"I wouldn't tell anyone. I promise."

"Good. It's not just for my family. There are people more powerful than me that would not hesitate to hurt you if you made us known."

"Splendid." Rosalie said sarcastically.

"I'm being serious. Please."

"I said I won't." She said with a little irritation in her voice. She had been through a lot that day. It didn't surprise her that her life would be in danger for broadcasting their secret, but it also didn't exactly comfort her. She sat silent as she thought about her day.

"Do you, by the way?"

"Do I what?" Rosalie asked as she was brought back from her thoughts.

"Do you need to think about us, do you want me to give you space?"

"I don't want you to leave me alone. Just be patient with me, this is…overwhelming." She tried to be tactful.

"I understand. My feelings for you are the same. I like you, and it's new for me." Bella said. She laughed at her own thoughts a moment later.

"What?"

"It's just that I told you it wasn't easy for me. I told you it was complicated, now you see what I meant."

"Yeah, I thought you meant it was because of, you know…" She still struggled to explain their attraction as girls.

"That part doesn't bother me as much. It's not something I'm used to, but my world is much more progressive and open to such things."

"Yeah, so progressive. Drinking blood and killing those who know." The blonde said quickly without a thought.

"I'm sorry about that. It's just not up to me. If I could be human, I would." Bella said feeling guilty about her own existence. She didn't look at the blonde, her eyes on the road and her hands stiff on the wheel. The blonde looked out her own window as she winced. She really could spit acid when she wasn't careful.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a right to do that." Rosalie apologized sincerely. She turned to look at the vampire. She knew she wasn't the enemy. She also knew that she could hardly help her condition.

"It's okay." Bella responded with a hint of sadness in her voice. The blonde couldn't help but feel worse.

The rest of the drive was filled with silence, only the radio and wind making noise. When Bella pulled up to the house Rosalie started to open her door, but Bella told her to hold tight while she went around to open her door. The blonde waited for her to human pace herself around the car. She thanked her for the day and for her life once more.

Bella walked her up to the door, making sure that she didn't have to put much weight on her leg. She knew she could walk but being close to the human was enough motive to help. When they reached her door, the blonde seemed anxious.

"If things were different, I would say goodbye properly." The blonde said as she looked into Bella's eyes. Bella smiled when she realized what the girl meant.

"You would still want that?"

"I don't know what I want. You are still the same person, right?"

"Completely."

"Then, I think I still want all of it. I don't know what that means, but I want you in my life." Rosalie said without hesitation. Bella smiled from ear to ear.

"I'm glad you do. I had a great time, despite the hiccups." She said looking to the girl's leg. Rosalie laughed. "Well, I will see you at school. Sleep well, Rose."

Bella turned and made her way down the sidewalk back towards the car. The blonde watched her from the doorstep, tapping her key on her index finger nervously. Before the brunette got halfway she heard the blonde take in a deep breath and call out her name.

"Yes?"

"Could you maybe drive me to school tomorrow? My leg, I may not be able to peddle as easily." She asked innocently.

"Sure. I'll be here." She said with a knowing smile. She knew the blonde would have no trouble if she were to ride her bike, but she wasn't going to fight her on it.

~X~

A loud crack sounded as the force of Bella's back hit the drywall of the living room. She could feel that her back had made a serious indentation, large cracks spread out from where her shoulders rested.

She didn't pay that mind; she was more concerned with the large stone hand wrapped around her neck. Edward held her there while rage coursed through his stone veins. His face was contorted into what any human would consider a monster.

"How could you?" He shouted, after his ambush. Bella was confused, but she quickly figured out that he must have heard her rehearsing her 'coming out' speech that morning as she got ready. She became upset, he wouldn't have known that she had gone through with it.

"Edward, please!" Esme pleaded from the banister of the stairs.

"Tell her what you did!" Edward snarled through his teeth.

"I had no choice!" Bella choked out from under the pressure of Edwards hold. Her feet dangled in the air, but she did not struggle.

"I heard you! I heard your plans to tell her before the attack! How could you be so stupid?" He spat out as he held her against the wall still.

"She was in danger! She knew, she knew I was something!"

"Edward, what is the meaning of this? Is everyone alright?" Esme asked with panic in her voice. Neither Edward nor Bella responded. "Someone better give me some damn answers!" Esme demanded suddenly at Edward's side.

Edward looked at Esme and back to Bella. After thinking over his options, he let go of his grasp and Bella hit the floor. She rubbed the tiny cracks left on her neck before standing up from her crouched landing.

"Rosalie is fine, thanks to me. You must have been awfully close to hear all that. Stalking me?"

"Bella…Tell me what happened." Esme pleaded.

"She revealed herself to the human." Edward voiced out in disdain.

"She has a name!" Bella stated angrily into his face.

"She is no different than any other human, you do not have a right to put the lives of the family in danger!"

"She would have died!"

"Calm down! Just calm down!" Esme used her arms to spread the two siblings apart. "Bella, please tell me what happened."

"We went for a hike and a Bobcat attacked her. I saved her life and she found me out. I had no choice but to explain myself. She was scared out of her wits until I explained what we are." Bella said with agitation still in her voice.

"Is she alright?"

"Not a scratch." Bella flinched her eyes at the words. "Well, one scratch."

"You know you were planning to tell her!" Edward pointed his finger into the girl's face.

"That's none of your damn business!" Bella said giving Edward a shove with both of her palms.

"Stop it!" Esme demanded.

"I'm going to have to clean up your mess now, because we all know you won't do it."

"If you even think about touching her…"

"No one is doing anything. Carlisle informed me of the talk you had. I am in support." Esme turned to face Edward, commanding his full attention. "The girl is to remain a happy and healthy human. We will deal with any consequences when they come."

"We may very well have to uproot again! I'm not even done with a semester at university!"

"Oh, it's not like we haven't had to move for you." Bella rolled her eyes as she spoke.

"What I did was perfectly fine within our world. I did not threaten to expose us nor threaten the wrath of the Volturi with my actions." He said through his teeth.

"That's enough. We have dealt with our mistakes. Bella finally has a chance to feel something, and quite frankly, I am in support of that." Esme defended her daughter.

"Remember that when the Volturi are at our door." Edward said as he spun on his heel and walked out the front door.

"And stop stalking me!" Bella called after him. She could see out the window that he was giving her the bird as he walked away.

"Well, don't I just have the picture family?" Esme rolled her eyes dramatically with her hands on her hips. She examined the large hole in the wall from Bella's back.

"I'll help you patch it tonight." Bella said as she put her arm around her mother's shoulder and sighed.


	12. Latch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella and Rosalie interact in a way that is playful and genuine. Watch them fall deeper into their affection as they navigate through the wonderfully awkward beginnings of a relationship. If that is what they have...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am excited that we five chapters away from part one being complete! Why? Because I really love part two. I feel like I keep saying that, but its true. Part two is a whole different beast than part one. Its deep, dark, passionate and teasing. Don't even get me started on part three...seriously, I still have two chapters to write of part two, don't let me jump the gun.
> 
> Couple of things; this story is very close in its rules and guidelines set by S. Meyer in the original series, however there are a few changes. One right off hand is that the Vampires can drink alcohol. Another is that they do not experience as much of a feral reaction to blood. Its there when they are newborns, but they learn to control the feral reactions over blood along with their thirst. Its not a big deal to know that for this chapter, but in the upcoming ones, it may be worth knowing.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and keep up the feedback!

The next day Bella arrived at Rosalie's house with the top up. It was a brisk morning and she couldn't have her human shivering on the way to class. She was trying to think about such things, but it was a constant learning curve.

She pulled up fifteen minutes early, early enough to see her father leave in the family car for work. He spotted her and gave her a wave with a polite smile. She was surprised to see him smile, he seemed like a different man from the concerned and protective father. He was all business, she wondered if he might have waved to keep up his image as a cordial family man. Bella shrugged it off; she would take what she could get.

Rosalie popped her head into the downstairs window to check for Bella's car. She spotted her right away and within a minute or so she was out the door, walking perfectly fine. She seemed to bounce lightly down the sidewalk, as if she were having a particularly good morning. Bella smiled at her through the car window, happy to see her favorite human smile.

"Hello there, stranger!" Rosalie said as she opened the car door, she ducked her head to greet Bella.

"Long time no see, get in the car!" Bella said dramatically.

The blonde rolled her eyes as she got in and threw her bag behind Bella's seat. Bella noticed that Rosalie did her make up like she had done the day before, which was a bit of a change from her normal school look. She took more care that morning; she must have been up earlier than normal to do it. Bella wondered if she had done it for her.

"You look nice." Bella said a little sheepishly.

"Thanks, I figured I'd spice it up. Never know when you need to impress someone." She said flippantly.

"You could impress anyone with no makeup, wearing a trash bag and curlers." Bella answered a little too ambitiously. Rosalie blushed and bit her lip, turning her head to look out the window as they drove.

"I saw your father, he waved to me." Bella said trying to restart the conversation.

"I mentioned that you were going to pick me up because of the weather. He was impressed that you drive, honestly. I told him you were a Cullen, of course he was familiar with your father. Speaking of, is he even related to you?"

"He is not technically, no. He is the one who changed me and he is my oldest vampire family. So, naturally I see him as a sort of father." Bella explained easily. It felt good for her to be able to freely talk about such things.

"Interesting. So, you said it was traumatic. Do you mind telling me how you were changed?"

"It wasn't really the actually transformation that was that bad, well it was pretty terrible, but nothing compared to what brought me to that point."

"What do you mean?"

"The end of my human life was horrific." Bella said plainly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rosalie asked while reaching her hand to sit atop Bella's.

Bella thought for a moment. Her mind flashed to a well-dressed man, hair slick, a trimmed mustache. He wore a bowler hat; a tie and a suite complete with a gold pocket watch.

Images of a black brief case opening, a large knife and cobble stones hit her. She felt cold, she heard screams, gut wrenching screams. Her body coursed with anxiety and adrenaline. She idly touched her abdomen.

"Are you okay?" Rosalie asked concerned.

"Um, yes, I... sorry." She stated composing her thoughts. Silence passed for a moment. The blonde seemed shy to speak. The vampire noticed she had not answered the girl, remorse filled her.

"Maybe another time." Bella turned to give Rosalie a small smile. "As far as actually changing, it requires vampire venom. Its rather easy, just a bite will cause someone to change."

"Is it instant?"

"It takes days, depending on where the bite is. If it is closer to the heart the venom takes over a little faster. It is more pain than one could imagine, but it only lasts a few days at most."

"Do you think I could handle it?" Rosalie asked curiously. Bella scoffed at the question.

"You can't handle a scrape, remember? The reason for our morning drive together?" Bell teased.

"I think we both know it wasn't the scrape." Rosalie said under her breath, crossing her arms.

"Is that right? What was it then?" Bella said in mock surprise.

"You heard that?" The blonde turned in shock.

"I hear a lot." Bella said quirking her brow with a smirk.

"Hmm…" Rosalie hummed as she thought. She slid her hand to rest on top of Bella's hand once more. She wrapped her thumb around the inside of her hand to clasp and hold it.

The two pulled into the school to see all familiar faces. Once they were close enough Rosalie released her hand quickly to rest it back in her own lap. Bella looked down to her own hand, still feeling the warmth that her hand had left.

"Jessica sees us." Bella said with a small laugh.

"Ugh, she is going to badger me about this. She is really jealous for a friend." Rosalie sounded agitated.

"She hates me, but I find it amusing."

"You would, and yeah she is not your biggest fan, your brother…that's another story."

"She drives him crazy."

The two got out of Bella's car; Rosalie opened her own door and began to walk with her brunette vampire counterpart into the school. Jessica had stormed off to class ahead of Rosalie. She would get an earful of Jessica's thoughts later. The human struggled with her jealousy so much that Bella wondered if her feelings for the blonde were more than platonic.

"Hey has Jessica ever made you think that she might be smitten with you?" Bella asked curiously as Rosalie gathered her items from her locker.

"Shush!" Rosalie hissed to Bella.

"What?"

"Why would you ask something like that here? You know people might be able to hear you."

"Oh, come on, no one can hear me."

"No, I don't think so. She is just protective of our friendship. She is threatened and frankly scared her popularity will be taken if she is not up my rear all the time."

"Ah, I see."

Within a week Rosalie's leg was almost completely healed. She kept up well with her busy schedule of cheerleading and orchestra. Bella continued to take her to school well past her leg was healed. They fell into a routine. Bella would pick up Rosalie from practice, stay over until dinner and lay in her bed while she practiced the Cello.

The real difference to their life now was their dynamic. They stole glances filled with meaning in class and stole kisses in Rosalie's bedroom during her practice sessions. Thanks to Bella's superior hearing, they were never caught.

Rosalie asked questions periodically as they came to mind, all about her existence as a vampire. The two of them seemed to take it slow for the most part. They didn't push either one into being something more, not that either of them could say exactly what they really were.

Bella would take the blonde out to movies and dinner each time a new movie came out. They had become fast movie critics, or so Rosalie's family believed. They couldn't believe how often they went. Truth be told, they hardly noticed the screen in front of them. They found the theater to be a placed where they could hold hands in secret and rest theirs heads upon each other. Sometimes the blonde snuck small kisses to Bella's neck, a daring and devious move for such a place.

Sometimes the blonde would ask Bella to stay over, and would leave her bedroom window open for the vampire to get back in. She would say her goodbye in the afternoon, eat dinner and converse with her family, but go to bed early. Each time she opened her door to find Bella waiting, her face would light up and her heart would pick up. They were like magnets the two of them.

Bella was content. She was content with the way things were. She felt complete when she was around the blonde. Her feelings were growing deeper for the human she held in her arms. She felt herself falling for her in ways that could destroy her. Still, she allowed herself to feel, to fall, deeper. Each time she stayed she would hold the blonde all night, she kissed her forehead softly as she slept.

This routine went on for months, past Rosalie's season of cheerleading and into the holidays. Rosalie's family celebrated Christmas, but in a different and less intimate way than Bella's family. Esme decorated the entire house with Christmas trinkets and Carlisle hung lights out on their house. Bella often laughed to herself at the pointlessness of the lights, no one ever saw their house out in the woods. She supposed it was more for Esme than anyone.

Rosalie's family decorated the living room with a tree and the banisters with wreath like trimmings. Her family held a family Christmas party that had grown in popularity over the years. What had started as a local gathering had turned into an affair worth traveling for. Her father had business partners coming in from the tri state area to attend. Her mother rented out a local bed and breakfast that was an old mansion. It was the party to be invited to, and everyone in town coveted their invitations. Rosalie had invited many of the school, holding an attitude that all should be welcome. Her mother chastised her for that when she found out, she would need more food and drinks for the potential guests.

Her mother had a local favorite restaurant booked to cook for the evening and Rosalie and her strings group set to play. Rosalie practiced the most popular Christmas songs for weeks in preparation and Bella couldn't have been happier to listen to each rendition.

It was just a few days away from the party and Rosalie was bubbling with excitement. Bella was listening to her practice on her bed as per her normal routine when it came time for dinner. Rosalie walked Bella out of her house, giving her goodbyes to Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Hale was just hanging up the phone, seeming to be overjoyed.

"Oh dear, I just found out. Your father invited Mr. King's son to the party, and he accepted!" She said having put the phone on the hook.

"Good mother, glad to see it is going to be the event of the season." Rosalie chimed back, not giving the news much thought.

"Don't you understand? He set this up for you. Royce is a wealthy and promising man. Given the opportunity, I'm sure his sights could easily be set on you." She said with a grin.

Rosalie stopped in her tracks. Bella could feel the tension in the air, like a fog in their living room. Rosalie turned to address her mother, Bella stopped to watch the interaction play out, curious of her reaction.

"Mother, I…I don't think that's necessary."

"You must be mad. This is absolutely necessary. I want the best for my daughter. Royce King is only the most eligible bachelor in the state, and the son of a very rich man. This would secure your future; don't you want that?"

"He is probably a very nice man, but I don't think love should be forced." She debated to her mother.

"Nonsense. Love will not keep you warm at night. Love will not pay the bills and keep you dressed in pretty things." She said matter-of-factly.

"Mother, I don't…"

"That's enough! I know what's best for my own daughter." She scolded. Rosalie nodded in response submissively. Bella had never seen Rosalie submissive around anyone but that woman. Her mother had a power over her, one she didn't understand completely.

Her mother recomposed what little bit of her emotion she let slip. She brushed the front of her dress, as if her physical movement could wipe away her own tension. The attention turned to Bella.

"Bella dear, your mother should have received my invitation by now. Has your family decided to attend?" She said in her cordial voice. All semblance of her fractured facade had healed.

"I will be there; I will ask my parents if they have decided they are free. Though, I am sure my mother has already mailed her RSVP promptly. You should be receiving it any day." Bella said with a sweet smile. She tried her hardest to charm the woman; her good side was the only side she intended on staying.

"Good. Now, maybe we can find you both nice young gentlemen." She said with a smile.

Rosalie half coughed; half scoffed at her mother. Her mother gave her a glare, Bella quirked her brow.

"It's enough to pawn me off to some boy, but don't put her through that. She most certainly doesn't want to be paraded like a prized pig any more than I do!" Her mother's jaw fell agape at her daughter's audacity.

"I should…" Bella said awkwardly as she pointed her thumb over her shoulder.

"Yes, I do believe it's time for you to head home." Her mother stated coldly.

Bella shook her head as she made her way down the Hale's walk. That Rosalie Hale had a temper, but she couldn't help but admire her. In fact, Bella found it to be one of her most endearing qualities.


	13. Jingle Bell Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cullen's spread Christmas cheer at a local human Christmas party. Bella is forced to meet the man, the myth, the legend, Royce King. She has to swallow back venom and bite her tongue in order to keep peace. Rosalie and Bella take a walk on the wild side when the ditch the party and Edward does what he does best, brutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the best. Very responsive and I love it. I hope this nice long chapter finds you well. Please keep up the reviews as I would love to know what you thought of this development. Let me know what you think of Rosalie's family, Royce and the direction of the story.

The famous Hale Christmas dinner was held on none other than Christmas Eve. The dinner was held in the Dartmouth House, an old but famous residence turned bed and breakfast and event center in downtown Rochester. The house featured large white columns, several large windows, a large crystal chandelier and a grand staircase in the foyer.

The venue was decorated with golden tinsel, deep red bows and a large tastefully dressed tree. The banister wore a golden garland, weaved around the railing as it made its grand slope. The doorways held mistletoe and the windows small candles to light the house in a welcoming way.

Rosalie had been with her mother at the house earlier to help with its set up. She was used to helping her pull off the event of the season, even though she mostly just took orders. Most of her afternoon was a mixture of taking barked orders while hearing intermittent exclamations of joy about the young bachelor coming to meet Rosalie. 

Bella offered to come help, but Rosalie wanted to spare her the trouble. Instead Esme took her shopping with her to find the perfect dresses for such an occasion. If Esme had her choice, they would have made a quick trip to Milan or Paris to find just the right design. Bella assured her that a department store dress would fit in better. 

As vampires, social norms had become somewhat foreign. Their worldview was far different, like a child being expected to know of the life of lions by observing them in a zoo. Esme struggled the most with it, as she was around humans and society the least. Most of what she knew came from her magazines and the papers. To her, an evening gown from a French designer was normal. 

The two of them settled on a trip to the city. Macy’s was just the ticket for the perfect dress. Bella was not one to get excited over things like shopping, but she was excited about impressing Rosalie. Her thoughts often drifted to her and the night ahead of her as she tuned out Esme debating hemlines and colors of dresses.

“I just do not want to be that wife; you know what I mean?” She said examining a silver dress. 

“Hmm?” Bella said after her mother paused to receive an answer.

“I’m not sure what I am going to do with you.” She said shaking her head with a smile. “At least give me a few nods now and again.” She teased.

“I’m sorry, I just seem foggy lately. My mind is consumed with her. It’s wonderful and awful.” Bella said as she looked down to the dress rack where she pinched a piece of fabric pinched between her fingers. 

“That happens when you catch feelings like you have. Why don’t we talk about something else? Maybe we could give your mind a break. Have you decided about school?”

“Well, I am sure of going to college. I’ve finished primary school 3 times after this year. I’m thinking of pushing boundaries. I feel I have learned enough about home economics and arithmetic to last me a lifetime. College is different now. Women are going and studying more than nursing and teaching. I read that they are joining law school, learning medicine, engineering and business.” Bella seemed passionate as she spoke. She was excited about her life for the first time. 

“Bella, I’ve been considering school myself. I haven’t mentioned it, but I thought I could study architecture. I have been looking at a local program, they allow women.” Esme almost whispered as if she were gossiping.

“That’s great! I think you should, you would be great.” She said as they moved through the clothing racks.

Esme picked out a dusty pink long bias-cut dress with a modest neck and a sleeve long enough to cover her deltoid's. Bella picked out a black sleeveless dress with silver sequins and a slightly plunging neckline. The dress had a split that ended around the knee; it was classy but not nearly as modest as Esme’s dress.

The two made it back to Rochester with about an hour to get ready for the party. Though that would be more than enough time for Edward and Carlisle, the girls ran around the house at vampire speed to get ready. Bella required Esme’s help in curling the ends of her hair to wear it in pageboy fashion, resembling Katherine Hepburn. 

The four vampires piled into Carlisle’s 1932 Ford Model B and bounced their way to the party. Not a soul within a mile could mistake the party. Bright lights from the house lit up the street. The Hale’s paid for a parking attendant, a young man from the high school. The young man opened the door for the ladies and gestured for them to exit the vehicle when they pulled up. 

Carlisle gave the girls a smirk with raised eyebrows. He had heard that the party was extravagant but did not fully understand until they arrived. Once inside the house, Carlisle was recognized and pulled away to talk to a colleague from the hospital. Esme followed him with a smile, recognizing his wife. Bella and Edward stood in the entryway looking around awkwardly. 

The house was packed with stuffy looking people. Most of the guests were probably closer to the two vampire’s actual ages. Bella spotted two elderly women whispering to each other, her hearing allowed her to understand that their words were criticizing her dress choice. 

“We probably have more wealth and wisdom than the entirety of this room combined.” Edward said plainly to Bella. Bella sighed in frustration over her brother’s poor attitude.

“Let’s get a drink.” She said as she pushed away from him. He followed.

“An old fashion, and she’ll have a…”

“A dirty martini please.” She interrupted Edward. The bartender gave him a suspecting look, he wasn’t sure if he should serve them on account of their young looks. Edward quickly slid the man a healthy tip and he nodded in understanding. The United States had just ended the prohibition, making this party livelier than the ones in years past. Guests of the party were loosening up rather quickly with the help of the two bartenders and slew of cocktail girls.

Bella searched and listened to the crowd with drink in hand as they stood in a corner, trying to seem inconspicuous. She had yet to see the object of her affection, she took another sip trying to calm her nerves. It went down her throat like acid, and tasted faintly of garbage, but it started to mess with her head. The more she could stomach, the lass anxious she would be. She was not one to insert herself into social situations, let alone with people she had very little in common with. Her only hope was that of the blonde she came for. 

“She is in the next room over.” Edward said taking a sip of his drink. 

“What?”

“You are looking for the human. The one you are always gallivanting with.” He spoke as if the conversation was boring to him.

“You know her name.” She said with a hint of annoyance.

“She is unimportant to this world; she is unimportant to me.” He spoke plainly.

“And the family claims I am the pariah.” She said rolling her eyes. She made her way to the entrance of the next room, Edward loomed behind her, not having any other place to go.

She was stunned to see brilliant blonde hair flowing down to her shoulder blades. She had her back to her but she could see that the left side of her hair was pinned up. The other was done in loose waves and allowed to flow freely. Her eyes wandered to her champagne colored dress clinging to each curve of her body as it flowed to the floor. She had a small elegant train behind her. The dress was backless and appeared so silky that Bella had the urge to walk up and have a feel at it.

“Well this is an interesting development.” Edward broke her out of her trance.

She had been so transfixed with Rosalie that she hadn’t noticed who she was speaking to. She was in a conversation with a greasy looking young man. She could see that he was conventionally good looking, his jaw was strong, his eyes bright, and his build strong but lean. His face was complete with thin mustache clinging to his upper lip.

He was smiling as he spoke to her; she let out a laugh at a joke he made, her hand cradling a glass of champagne. He took the liberty of touching her elbow as they laughed off his joke. Bella felt tension within her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she didn’t like this. She didn’t like the way he made her laugh and she didn’t like him. 

“She is just talking to him.” Bella said in denial.

“He is flirting with her. I can hear his thoughts; they are less than respectful.” Edward said in a low voice.

“It’s probably the guy her mother wanted her to meet. She can speak to whomever she pleases. I don’t own her.” Bella said feeling somewhat defensive. She was overcorrecting for her mess of emotions displayed upon her face.

“Well, she does seem to be friendly with him.” He said finishing his drink. “Good luck. I’m due for another drink.” He walked away to the bar.

“Ass.” She whispered. She knew he heard her; she heard his light chuckle in response from the next room. With a gulp she decided to approach the couple across the room talking. As she got closer, her hand wanted to reach out to the small of her back to feel the dress draped over Rosalie. She stopped herself.

“Rosalie.” Bella said pleasantly. Her voice was low but cheerful.

“Bella!” Rosalie said throwing up her arms. She gave Bella a tight hug, from the smell of her; the glass of champagne she held was not her first.

“Ah-hem.” The man cleared his throat obnoxiously loud.

“Oh, Bella, this is Royce. Royce King, the most eligible bachelor in New York.” She said flirtatiously.

“Well now, I don’t know about that. In any case, I hope to not be for long.” He said with a gleam in his eye. Bella felt uneasy at the exchange. He did not offer his hand to greet Bella, and Bella did not offer hers either. Both parties were clearly only interested in the Blonde. After a brief pause Bella decided to change the subject. 

“What a lovely party, I have no doubt it was due to your help.” Bella said cordially.

“We work all day, but thankfully it’s over and time to play. Well almost.” She said with a wink. The gesture was directed at Bella. 

“To friendship and alcohol.” Bella gestured her glass to Rosalie. The two clinked glasses before Royce could raise his drink fully. Royce seemed uneasy with Rosalie’s attention being shared.

“Well, I am going to go catch up with my colleagues. We must talk about that date later, okay?” He said with a smile. 

“I’ll think about it.” Rosalie answered nicely. He brushed past Bella, his shoulder nudging her a little roughly. When he was gone Bella met Rosalie’s eyes with raise eyebrows.

“Mm, date?”

“He was a bit of a pester about it. He is a nice man though.” Rosalie answered.

“So, you will then?” Bella seemed a little unsure of herself. Rosalie seemed to notice the change in her confidence. She abruptly grabbed her hand in a friendly manner.

“Oh, Bella bear, you know I only have eyes for you.” She said a little silly. The champagne had made her playful.

“Ah, then why give the bachelor the time of day?” Bella inquired.

“You know my mother; she thinks it will be good for the family. His father is high up in the company, you know?”

“I just think there are other ways…”

“I do not want to go; I would much rather do anything else. I’d rather spend an evening with your brooding brother.” She said with her hand pointing to Edward who was now leaning against the far corner of the room. He scoffed at her insult.

“Well, I suppose that is reassuring.” Bella shrugged.

“I sure hope so.”

“Bella bear? I kind of like that nickname. Is that like my pet name or something?” Bella teased as she nudged Rosalie’s shoulder with hers. Rosalie bit her lip and leaned in with her lips close to the vampire’s ear.

“Do you want it to be?” Rosalie said in a low voice. The husky whisper gave Bella chills.

“Ah-hem.” Bella cleared her throat out of shock and embarrassment over the physical change within her own body at the whisper.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The blonde giggled. “Now, let me get a good look at you.” She said moving away from Bella a bit.

“I wasn’t sure about the dress; I don’t normally go to events like this.”

“You are gorgeous, Bella. I am lucky I get to parade around this with you. Let’s make a round around the party so I can show off my best friend.” She said encouragingly. Though they could only be friends in public, being on her arm had a nice feeling about it.

After a round or two Bella was feeling socially exhausted. She wasn’t sure how Rosalie could be so pleasant all the time around guests. She figured that she had grown up that way. She must have not known any other way.

Rosalie was called away to play with her strings group for a couple of songs. She left Bella near her brother in the far corner of the room. The blonde sauntered over to sit at her Cello, the other’s in her group positioned themselves at the ready to begin. Rosalie pick up her bow and allow her violet eyes to meet Bella’s. She gave her a smirk, knowing and flirtatious in its nature, just before moving her arm to begin. 

The music was loud and beautiful. They played a few favorite Christmas tones, the crowd seemed to hum along to the melody. Bella surveyed the crowd, noticing her new formed threat standing close to the front of the room. He was next to Mrs. Hale, a grin on his face as he watched her Rosalie. She felt a faint growl begin to form in her chest, she didn’t need Edwards gift to know what he was thinking. Hell, she thought it too each time she looked at the blonde, she assumed her version was much more respectful, however. 

When they were done the group stood and took a bow. The blonde smiled warmly to the family friends she had known most of her life. To her family and friends, she was a prize, a local all-American treasure they had watched grown from a young age. Her parents seemed to be proud, like she was the best in class as a show pig at the fair. Bella rolled her eyes at the blonde’s mother. 

After a few nice words from her family friends, she wandered her way back to Bella. Bella told her how great she was, genuinely proud of her. The two took a break and retreated to the upstairs balcony. 

The night was cool, not uncommon for Rochester in the winter. Rosalie had grabbed her fur coat knowing where she was taking Bella. Bella was unaffected by the cold, something Rosalie couldn’t get used to.

“Are you sure you don’t need a coat?” 

Bella rolled her eyes at her. 

“No, I am just fine. I am just content to be away from the crowd for a few minutes. Speaking of, could we just leave? Would anyone notice?” She half joked; half pleaded.

“My mother would strangle me.”

“Yeah, I know. It would be nice if things were different.” Bella said looking down at her hands on the railing.

“What do you mean?” Rosalie said as she pressed her back to the rail, meeting Bella’s eyes. Bella thought for a moment before answering.

“You know, I just wish you had more freedom. More options. Everything in your life is not your own. Nothing is your choice. School, Cheering, and now your love life.” She ended a little bitterly.

“I wouldn’t say that none of it is my choice. I chose the Cello, much to my mother’s displeasure.”

“Ah, but you were still forced to play something, am I wrong?”

“No, you are not wrong. My mother wanted me to take piano or violin. My father learned cello when he was younger. That’s why I choose it, and also how I got away with it.”

“My point exactly. You ‘got away with it’.” Bella used air quotes. “All of this should be your choice. What of college? Are you going or not? Are you going to end up married and pregnant next year?”

“So, what if I did?” Rosalie crossed her arms. “I have always wanted a family. It is an honor. What if that is what I want?” She seemed offended.

“There is nothing wrong with that. I know you want more though. I see the excitement in your eyes over the thought of a scholarship and college.” Bella softened in her approach.

“I want a family! I want an education! I don’t what to tell you! In a perfect world I could have both.” She exclaimed upset.

“You can have anything you want, it’s your life.” Bella assured her with a hand on her arm.

“This is easy for you. You have every freedom because of your family, because of your…”

“Condition?” Bella offered in case someone could hear them.

“Yeah, life is so easy for you, you have a supportive family. You could join the circus and Esme would be there in the stands, cheering you on.”

“Maybe. I can be there to cheer you on. Your family may not be there, but you will always have me.” Bella offered her comfort.

“I could be an old hag before I have the chance at a family.” Rosalie said sadly. A pang of hurt hit Bella as she knew this family could never be with her. Bella could not give her what she wanted.

“Look, you are beautiful now, and you will probably be even more so in four years. A family can wait. Time will only age you to perfection, I am sure of it.” Rosalie laughed at Bella’s absurd comment as she wiped a tear from her face. “I don’t exactly know what is going on with us, I mean, I know I care for you. We could go to school together and maybe figure this out along the way.” 

“You really think we could do that? I would have never dreamed of college before.”

“We can and will if you desire that. We are well off and can offer a Cullen Scholarship should the music one not work out.” She stopped as Rosalie nodded her head in agreement with tears streaming down her face. “So where are we going?”

“I hadn’t told anyone, but I got letter’s back from NYU and Julliard. I have been too afraid to open them. I keep them in my locker.” She said wiping her face.

“That’s amazing news, we should find out as soon as possible! I can’t believe you didn’t say something!” Bella said excitedly.

“I was too chicken, I guess I’ll have to wait until break is over.”

Bella let her back hit the rail harshly in defeat. She was never one to be patient over news. Then the thought occurred to her, she sprang up again from her slouched position.

“Unless…”

“Unless what? You don’t have a vampire X-ray eyes, do you?” Rosalie teased faintly.

“No, but I do have the guts to sneak in and get the results. Let’s go!” 

“Wait, what? We can’t go now!” Rosalie seemed taken a back.

“Why not? This party is great, but don’t you want to know now?” Bella beamed her bright smile at Rosalie.

“My mother would kill me, and you can’t go sneaking in a school with that on.” She gestured to her dress.

“I can and I will. Your mother might not even notice your absence. Even if she does, live a little.”

She grabbed Rosalie by the hand and drug her off the balcony and back to the party. She weaved in and out of the busy crowd to find Edward. The two of them approached the vampire who was still isolated in a corner with a drink. 

“I need a favor.” Bella stated abruptly.

“Fuck off.” He said quietly.

“Usually I enjoy our brotherly, sisterly jabs, but I do actually need you to be a bit more mature right now.” He did not move or speak. His eyes were on the crowd. Bella moved her hand to snap her fingers in his face. His jaw tightened and his eyes met hers.

“What does your highness need now?” He asked unenthusiastically.

“I need you to read her mother’s mind, that lady over there with the lavender dress and the bob cut hair.” Bella motioned Mrs. Hale’s direction. “Anytime she decides to look for Rosalie or myself, I need you to come up with a distraction.”

“And how do you propose I distract her?”

“I don’t know, use your charm.” She said with a shrug.

“Alright.” He said.

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” He said annoyed.

Once they were outside and around the corner, Bella carried Rosalie at vampire speed. The school was so close to the party that they arrived before Rosalie could adjust to the speed. Bella held her in her arms for a minute longer to let her adjust. She examined the school as she thought of the best way to get them both inside.

“How are you going to get in?” Rosalie asked after she caught her breath.

“We.” Bella said with her eyes still on the school.

“What do you mean?”

“How are WE going to get in.” 

“Oh no. This is for you to go in and me to wait here.” She said as Bella let her down.

“C’mon, it’s an adventure.”

“In this dress? No that’s a nightmare.” She said dramatically. Bella deadpanned to meet her eyes. “Well? How are you going to do it?”

“We.” Bella mumbled. Her eyes never left the school in front of them.

“Ugh.” Rosalie said crossing her arms.

“There.” Bella pointed at one of the basement windows. 

“Nope.”

“Why?” 

“It’s haunted. I will not go in there.”

“Haunted?”

“By Old man Jones. You never heard of that? He was a grounds keeper, he died in a freak accident here when I was a kid. They say he haunts this place!

Bella gave her an incredulous look. She would have never guessed Rosalie to be superstitious. She could see why Rosalie would think such a thing. The school was a tall building, a large brick rectangle with a window in each class. It was eerie at night.

“Good thing you have a big scary vampire to ward off ghosts.” Bella shrugged and took Rosalie’s wrist.

“I hate you.” The blonde said in a pout.

“No, you don’t.”

Bella took her elbow and popped it against the lining of the window. It was made to swing open on a hinge. The hinge had been painted over several times, making the window permanently shut. Her elbow cracked the seal and the window went ajar. She pushed it in more and slid her body in through the opening with ease.

“C’mon, princess.” She said with a tease.

Rosalie groaned with her arms crossed but came closer for a look She knelt down in her dress and looked in to meet Bella’s eyes. She scrunched her face at the opening as she examined it.

“I can’t believe you.” She said as she put her hands on the frame and attempted to slide in. Bella caught her legs and helped guide her into the basement. 

Once she was inside, she brushed off her hands and dress as they looked around them. Rosalie seemed uneasy; Bella remained close to her to try to calm her nerves. 

“See, no ghosts. Just dust.”

“I’m not sure which is worse right now.” She said still patting off her dress.

“Ok let’s go.” 

The two made their way slowly through the dark. It was easy for Bella to navigate as her eyesight was much better than a normal human’s in the night. She moved slow for Rosalie to feel comfortable with each step. She could hear Rosalie’s heart beating hard in her chest. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. It’s just dark and musty. You don’t think that Old man Jones is here, do you?” She said with a shaky voice.

“Hey.” Bella said turning to face Rosalie. She had never seen the strong woman in such a state. “I am positive that he is just a superstitious story”.

Rosalie let out a large sigh, trying to settle her own nerves. The two made their way up to the first floor away from the storage area of the dingy basement. The main floor of the school was hardly better than the eerie basement. Only dim lights from the street lit the halls through windows. 

Rosalie quickly opened up the door to her locker, removed a stack of books and lifted a mat from the bottom of the locker. Under the mat were three letters, all sealed.

“Three schools?”

“Yeah, I applied to Eastman School of Music here in Rochester. I wanted to have a school closer in case I was chicken. I guess I ended up too chicken for any of them.” She said in a discouraging tone.

“Well, you are not chicken anymore. Go on, open them!” Bella said cheerfully. Rosalie gave her a shy smile and opened the first envelope, a letter from Eastman School of Music.

Dear MS. Rosalie Hale:

I am pleased to inform you that your application for admission for the fall, 1934 term has been favorably reviewed by our Admissions Committee. We have recommended to the Undergraduate College that you are to be admitted on full graduate standing to the Applied Music program in The Eastman College Music.

Bella listened to Rosalie read the words out loud. Rosalie read excitedly through her first letter, then through the other two acceptance letters to NYU and Julliard. Not only did she gain an acceptance to the latter two colleges; she was offered a partial scholarship to Julliard and a full ride to NYU. She hugged Bella tightly around the neck in reaction to her final letter exclaiming her scholarship.

Bella spun her around for a half spin, Rosalie clutching her letters in her hand. Bella let her down gently, their faces a mere inch from each other. Rosalie closed the distance between them not a second later. 

Their mouths danced against each other’s as Bella held her around her waist and Rosalie clung to her with her arms around her neck. Rosalie used a bit of forced to push Bella into the locker behind her. Bella gave easily, allowing her to take control.  
After a few soft and passionate moments of connection, Rosalie broke away from her with a playful smile. 

“How do you like New York City?” She said.

“Hmm…Well it is a little stuffy, so many people you know? I hear there isn’t much to do either…” Bella turned to walk a circle around Rosalie, her finger to her chin as she pretended to ponder.

“There are loads to do! Broadway shows, Music at the Hall, Ice Skating and bright lights!” Rosalie argued with a smile.

“Well, I suppose I could, Maybe I could give it a shot…” She said at her side, her face turned slightly away from the blondes. She raised her eyebrow and offered a crooked smirk. “Let’s do it! New York it is!” She exclaimed.

The two spent some time wandering the halls, cheerful and playful. Bella walked with her hand in Rosalie’s; twirling her around every so often as though they had been dancing. They made their way up to the third floor, and up the firescape to the door to the roof. Bella gave it an easy nudge; the latch broke easily under her force. 

The air was cold, Rosalie’s breath creating a small cloud with each exhale. They made their way to the edge of the rooftop. They surveyed the houses below, and the night sky. It was a clear night with only a few clouds visible. 

“Why don’t you have breath like me?”

“What?” Bella was confused.

“Hahhhh” Rosalie exhaled dramatically. “See?”

“Oh! Well, I do choose to breath. My body temperature is not warm enough to make fog from my breath. I don’t have to breath if I don’t want to though.”

“How long can you hold your breath?” Rosalie asked not understanding fully.

“Well, forever.”

“What? That is…” She scoffed instead of finishing her thought.

“Is there an end to what you can do?”

Bella didn’t know how to answer the question. There was much she could not do. Most of what she was, the monster within her, was detrimental to others. She could do many things, but she could not stop her thirst. She could not save those she loved from inevitable death and she most certainly could not offer Rosalie the life she deserved.

“I have many gifts. I am fast, strong, and unbreakable. It is a gift and a curse.” Bella lowered her head slightly in her own self-hatred.

“You are no monster.” Rosalie said touching her shoulder.

Just then she heard Edward like a whisper. He had step outside of the party to warn her of the blonde’s mother. She had realized that she had gone missing from the party. 

“Did you not distract her?” Bella said loudly.  
“What?” Rosalie asked confused.

“I did twice, but she is wise to me. My attempts to speak with her are growing ridiculous.” He spoke again from outside the party.

“Your mother, she might suspect something is awry.” Bella answered Rosalie. She seemed to understand right away. The vampire took off her heels and asked the human to hold them. 

Bella held out her arms as a gesture to scoop her up, and with one swift movement she held her, and they were flying towards the ground. Rosalie let out a small squeak when they hit the ground. The landing was surprisingly gentle for a three-story drop. 

The two were back to the party in a matter of seconds. They were walking up when her mother came outside looking for her daughter. She spotted them walking up the sidewalk, her face turned to a subtle rage.

“Where have you been Rosalie Lillian Hale?” 

“We needed a bit of fresh air.” She shrugged.

“How in the name of Sam hill do you expect to win the affections of a certain banker when you are out here?” She said in a raised voice.

“I don’t intend to win any affections. I intend to breath clean air.” Rosalie responded with an attitude that she had not dared try before.

“I hope you got all the fresh air you need, because you won’t be getting any for a while. You are grounded!” She exclaimed.

“Mrs. Hale, this is my fault, I felt sick.” Bella spoke up.

“Nonsense. I know my daughter, obstinate at every turn. Rosalie, inside now.” She said coldly. She turned and went inside.


	14. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter brings about some concerns in the balance of Bella and Rosalie’s relationship. Superior speed, strength, and heightened senses, those are all thing Bella excels in; But if there is one thing she bad at, its sharing. Bella feels an inkling of something she has a hard time describing. Jealousy? Concern? Frustration? Sadness? None of those quite fit the mold, but there Rosalie is. She is a ray of sunshine and full of hope. She breaks every bit of ice and darkness that threatens to enclose our heroine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter finds you well. We are nearing the end but with that comes the next. This chapter title is from the band Panama, and it’s a pretty good song. I’d check it out if I were you. I appreciate your comments and reviews! Please keep it up.

The next few months flew by. Bella used some resources her family had to apply and get into Columbia. Her College was only a mere eight miles from Rosalie’s. They could share an apartment, as roommates of course, in the Upper West Side. She had gone with Esme to pick out a Brownstone apartment and purchased it without a second thought. 

It was old, built during her time as a human, but it had a charm to it. It had so much potential and she had one of the best designers in the country to help her with vision. She would have it from drab to breathtaking before they moved in.

Most of her time over the spring semester was spent in school, taking trips at night to the City to fix their place up, and spending stolen moments with Rosalie. Her mother had sentenced her to isolation, except for school and practices. 

That didn’t deter Bella, instead of openly visiting her friend; she snuck in through her window in the evenings. They had, again, slipped into a routine. After dinner she would meet her in her room. Her mother very seldom checked on her or came to tell her goodnight, though that was sad to Bella, she didn’t mind too much. 

Their evenings started with them quietly talking until Rosalie eventually fell asleep. Bella would sit in her chair, until slowly that changed. She went from the chair, to the edge of the bed, to lying beside the blonde in bed. 

They occasionally exchanged kisses, and tender moments. Rosalie would lose her thoughts sometimes as she truly saw Bella. Golden eyes stared into violet. She would scrunch her brow in thought and ask questions about her life, which was still so much a mystery to her. 

When Bella was lucky, Rosalie would move in her sleep to rest her head on her shoulder. The vampire loved the way she smelled; she felt she could lay there with her forever. Every school night she stayed until she could hear movement in the house. She would escape out the window before she could be detected. On weekends she would leave just after midnight to the city to work on their apartment. She may have stayed a few weekends as she lost her own battle of will for the human.

Bella had mentioned she was looking for places but had not told her of the place she bought. She heard Rosalie mention the brownstone buildings once or twice and knew she would love the spacious place she had picked. She took her time making repairs, upgrading and refurbishing the apartment. She wanted it to be perfect for them. Her own fantasy had gotten away from her as she envisioned the things they would do in the place.

She pictured them walking to the park, coming home with fresh flowers. She could see them falling onto the couch she picked out, laughing and lounging. She pictured herself reading in the window on the bench with her feet up. While the blonde studied in her own office. She had decorated an office for Rosalie, every detail tailored to her memories of items Rosalie had mentioned and styles she liked.

Bella had even been learning to cook with Esme. She shopped with her at their local grocery, a ritual Esme held to keep up appearances. The two of them tried out recipes, and brought them to the Hales, and other friends. They always tried the food, each time wondering why they had. It was never changing; the food was dirt to them.

One Saturday night, Bella slipped through the window as she would do every night. She came to find no human, but a note lay on the bed. The note was clearly written by her friend, but bore sad news.

Dear Bella,

My mother has offered to give me a night free from my grounding. I shall have to spend it with Royce King, you may remember him from the party. It was her condition. I’m sorry that I did not let you know; I was unaware. Please don’t wait up for me, I know you usually leave on weekends. I will see you tomorrow. 

Sincerely Yours,

Rose

She read the short letter over three times before she sank to the edge of the bed. She lowered the letter and looked around the room. After a few minutes she decided to go on a hunt. 

The cold air rushed through her hair as she ran through the forest. She felt a curious emotion within her, not totally foreign. She had felt it at the party when she saw Rosalie with him. The emotion was uncomfortable as it tugged at her heart.

Thoughts of the blonde walking with her arm around the man’s, leaning in and laughing filled her mind. She thought of them sharing dinner, him making a joke and her flashing him that beautiful disarming smile. Her taking her napkin to brush a stray piece of food from his mustache. How she hated his mustache. Bella grabbed a fallen tree branch and threw it as hard as she could as she thought of it. 

She wondered if they were going to see a movie, if she would lean her head on his shoulder. If he would smell her hair. What if he tried to kiss her when he brought her home? Bella ran her hand threw her hair and let out a shaky breath. She couldn’t spiral like this. Rosalie wanted her, right? She would never allow him to smell her hair or kiss her. The internal war within her was almost too much. She attempted to distract herself by taking down a bear and three deer. 

She stopped by Rosalie’s before heading home, just to make sure she had made it home safely. Though she merely meant to pick up her scent from outside, she smelled a scent that did not belong. She sensed the odor of Royce, and without further thought sprang up to cling to the window. Inside was a peacefully sleeping Rose, her Rose. 

The foul odor of the man of whom she could not like was coming from a coat sprawled on her chair. Her lip curled for a moment in disgust, but then she noticed a bouquet of roses on her desk. The man had been trying to win her over. She wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but she was aware that she didn’t like it. 

The next day she spent most of the day in her own bed. She lay on her stomach, eyes blankly on a shirt of Rosalie’s across her room. She had borrowed it when she had gotten grease all over her after working on her car with Rosalie helping her. The shirt taunted her with memories, with the reminder of what Royce almost had, what she didn’t. 

She didn’t go to school the next two days, and she didn’t go to see Rosalie. She spent her time moping around the house, driving Edward crazy, no one out brooded him. Esme was concerned, but unsure of how to help. Bella had never felt the things she did with the human. She usually kept away from interactions with others, humans especially. This side of her daughter was totally foreign to her. Carlisle attempted to help her with encouraging words, but Bella was stubborn. 

A knock at the door brought Bella out of her coma like state that Wednesday afternoon. Esme answered the door to find Rosalie standing there with a notebook. The blonde flashed her a smile, though she seemed nervous.

“Hello Dear! Come in!”

“Hi Mrs. Cullen, I just wanted to come by and bring Bella her homework assignments.” 

“That is very kind of you. She is just upstairs.” She said pointing to her bedroom.

Bella could hear the exchange, her dead heart sped up at the human’s voice. She paced the bedroom for a moment as the girl made her way to her door. She froze with fear when she heard a knock.

“Hey Bella, Its me.” She said shyly.

The door opened slowly to reveal a very solemn looking vampire. She was in her pajamas with her hair a slight mess. She had not taken very good care of herself the prior two days. She gave Rosalie a faint smile, but walked back to the edge of the bed to sit. The girl followed and mimicked her on the bed.

“I haven’t heard from you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I was just feeling a little reserved, not in the mood to be around others.” She said with a hint of bitterness.

“I understand, I guess I would have thought you would at least let me know.” She said sadly. Bella’s own feelings were subdued by the emotion she heard within her friend.

“I…I apologize. I don’t know what I am doing here.” 

“What do you mean?” The blonde asked with scrunched eyebrows.

“I don’t know how to navigate my feelings. I see that you have been out with him and I…”

“You what? I was given the opportunity to end my punishment early should I see him. My mother drives a hard bargain.” She said seriously. She sounded defensive.

“You kept his jacket and his flowers.”

“I was cold, he was a gentleman. I like flowers. Can you blame me?” She said incredulously.

“This is new for me, I can’t blame you, but it still hurts.” The vampire admitted with a shrug. Suddenly she had the girl’s hands on hers in her own lap.

“I care for you.”

Bella smiled at the statement. 

“I will have to keep seeing him in order maintain my freedom.” Rosalie said with an eye roll.

“Great.” Bella said sarcastically. Rosalie gave her a bump of her shoulder. “Did he...ahm…K-kiss you?”

The blonde flinched back with shock on her face. It seemed the idea was ludicrous. Bella suddenly felt bad for asking. She waited for the answer still.

“Absolutely not.” She half scoffed and half laughed. 

“Good, I just let my mind, you know…”

“Well don’t.” The blonde turned her body and touched the vampire’s arm softly. Her big violet eyes peered into her own. She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on the brunette’s cheek and nestled her head on her shoulder thoughtfully. The blonde sighed.

“He is Harmless.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a slow burn this story will be.


	15. Lights Down Low

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter spans a decent bit of time. I cover some of the remaining highlights of school, interactions with friends, a visit from a familiar character and some beautiful moments shared. Royce inserts himself and takes liberties, Bella feels waves of jealousy and Rosalie tries to navigate her obligations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been very busy the past couple of weeks and apologize sincerely that I didn’t keep with the previous pace of posting with this story. We are ramping up for a finale. Can you sense it? Can you tell what’s going to happen? I haven’t had any correct guesses yet. I hope this chapter is both entertaining and satisfying for you. A side note, as I read this, I added something I thought I had originally put in. So, if for some odd reason I had already added a detail of Bella’s scar, please forgive the repeat, but I did not see it when I skimmed the story. Cheers.

The last months of the semester gave Bella her most genuine high school experiences. She had never before connected with her class, never made friends. Over the course of the year she had grown to be friends with a few of her classmates and tolerate the others, like Jessica. 

Rosalie was free from her grounding on the condition that she see Royce, her mother’s priorities were clear. Though Bella was not keen on the feeling she had over him, she was happy to see Rosalie freely. They were able to take trips to the movies and shop for their dresses to prom. 

“But is it too tight around the back?” Rosalie asked anxiously. 

“I think it is just enough.” Bella said in a light tone, enjoying her view of the blonde’s backside.

“It’s not too much?” She said adjusting her straps and moving to pose every which way in the mirror.

“Like I said, Just enough.” Bella said as she approached her from behind. Her hand tentatively reached for the small of the Blonde’s back. Her fingertips grazed the fabric, but Rosalie felt is with a small shudder. She eyes the vampire in the mirror, their gaze held for a long pause.

“How do we like it, dear?” The older woman who owned the boutique spoke from the other side of the door.

“Its great!” and “Its fine.” Both said at the same time.

Rosalie was to be taken by Royce, while Bella called in a favor to a friend of the family. Benjamin was a friend from the Egyptian Coven. He had special abilities that made him a valuable member. That meant that the coven leader always kept him close by his side. He needed the break from them, a bit of autonomy. Bella saw it as a win for both parties.

Bella helped Benjamin put in special contact lenses she had ordered in New York City. The contacts changed his red eyes to brown, making him seem more human. This was only his second trip to the united states in all his two hundred odd years as a vampire. The first had been years ago and was just a short jaunt to the western frontier. It was a favor to a coven that had since moved from their place in the gold mining town of Sacramento. 

He was a kind man, a bit of a stranger to American customs, but smart and charming. His only concept of America was that of the gold rush era and what he had seen in a few movies. He was vastly confused by their differences and the differences he saw during his trip for Bella. She had to explain to him the social customs and teach him some terminology. Though he was fluent in English, slang was foreign. He arrived three days before the dance, Bella showed him around town, the two even took off one day and went to New York City. He was excited to go to his first dance, socialize and learn more of teenagers. 

They came up with a story for him, as his truth would be out of the question. He was a student in LA, an old friend of Bella’s from her hometown. His bronzed skin and dark features were a perfect fit for their story. He had been practicing his American accent; it was believable, with the exception of some of his slang misusage.

The two couples were set to ride together along with Jessica and her date, Mike Newton. Royce offered to pay for a seven-seater 1930 Limo with a driver for the night. Jessica and Mike were the first to be picked up, followed by Benjamin and Bella.

Bella and Benjamin climbed into the boat of a car and settled in with the excited group. Royce was sitting closer to Rosalie, his arm around her. Jessica was all but lounging on poor Mike, the poor girl had a big thing for him for years. Bella and Benjamin sat close, but it was obvious to everyone that there was no romantic interest between them. Benjamin smiled charmingly to everyone as he greeted each person and introduced himself. 

“So, Benji, you lock this one down yet?” Royce said with a swig of the flask in his free hand. His body was relaxed and confident. Benjamin gave Bella a curious look, not understanding the slang.

“No, we are friends. Going as friends. Similar to you guys.” Bella answered for him.

“Ha.” Royce half laugh, half scoffed at her answer. 

“I was telling him that you came in from the west coast for this, you are a good friend.” Rosalie spoke the boy that she knew was vampire.

“Well, she was my best friend back home, how could I not?” He smiled.

“Are there lots of movie stars there? Like, do you just see them all the time?” Jessica questioned excitedly.

“Well…”

“I bet everyone there is attractive.” Mike interrupted. He earned an elbow to the ribs from his date.

“People are attractive, and yes, I do sometimes.”

“What about Clark Gable or Frank Sinatra?” Jessica Pressed.

“No, no, not them.” He answered shyly.

“Katherine Hepburn, Margaret Sullivan, or Jean Harlow?” Mike leaned forward to ask.

“I saw Katherine once.” He lied.

“I bet that was something! I would have drooled right there in the street.” Mike said, earning him another jab.

“Ah, yes. She is something!” He said with an over enthusiastic gesture. Bella had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. He was obvious unsure of who the woman was, and what she looked like.

“Well, you two look handsome tonight. Bella, I love your dress.” Rosalie interjected. She gave Bella a smile that told her that the compliment was deeper. Rosalie believed she looked gorgeous, and she wished she were going with her.

“You as well. I love your hair.” Bella reached to touch it, giving Rosalie a shiver. 

“It sure is cold tonight. Driver, could you please put on the heat.” She said with cheeks reddening. Rosalie crossed and rubbed her arms as if she were chilled.

The dance went relatively smoothly. Bella and Benjamin danced and had punch, talked, laughed and had fun. The entire night Bella kept a part of her attention on Royce and Rosalie. She watched them dance out of the corner of her eye, seeing his hands travel farther south than a gentleman should allow. She watched as he brought out his flask over and over, his demeanor becoming more and more boisterous. 

The dance was held in the gymnasium of the school. Paper streamers crossed the ceiling and paper cut out designs hung to make the place seem less like a gym. By the second hour most of the couples were standing around chatting, only a few remained dancing. Bella pulled Rosalie to go to the bathroom with her.

“So, how is he being?” Bella asked once they were alone.

“He isn’t so bad; he is being kind.” She said in response. She didn’t pick up on the vampire’s subtle jealousy.

“I can hear him. He is drunk. He seems nice enough, but I don’t like something about him.” Bella said with a sigh. She felt guilty for her opinion. The blonde turned on the water to wet a towel. She patted her neck to cool herself down.

“So far he has given me no reason not to like him.” She said suddenly. Bella looked down to the running water in the sink. Her stomach was aching. “Look, I don’t mean like that. Don’t over think it.” She said exasperated. Her tone changed as she winced. She didn’t mean to be so abrasive. “He is a means to an end. You know I have to play this game with my family. He is nice enough, at least I can enjoy my time around him.” 

“I can’t wait for this to end; I can’t wait for us to be free.” Bella said quietly.

“I know, once we are in College, I will be free to live how I want to live. I just have to play along until the end of summer. It makes my life much more pleasant, you know?” She said as she touched her shoulder in comfort.

“I know.” She smiled back at the blonde. “You really do look beautiful.” 

“So, do you. I am pretty lucky.” The blonde flashed a smile that made Bella weak. A magnetic pull brought them closer. The moment was ended by a group of giddy girls entering the bathroom loudly. The two turned to face the sinks again, finished washing their hands and made their way out. The rest of the dance was fairly uneventful, much like the rest of the school year. Graduation came, and then summer. 

The two girls were inseparable. Much of the summer was spent on long drives with the top off of Bella’s car. They went just about everywhere, even to Canada for a day. They spent many long days at a secluded river that they could be themselves at. 

The vampire was vulnerable, for no one knew of her past, at least no one outside her family. She hesitated the to take off her shirt when she watched the blonde freely remove hers, a white bra exposed underneath. Her throat became dry, her breath rapid, though she no longer needed it. The blonde swayed her hips as she slid her shorts off, her round rear captivated the nervous vampire. 

The blonde looked back to see a shell-shocked vampire. Her expression was curious as she appraised the brunette. 

“Are you getting in?” The blonde nodded her head towards the river.

“Yes, of course.” She said as if coming to. She shook her head as she answered.

“Well I should hope you are not planning to do so in those clothes…”

“Um, no, I just…I’m not used to being to open.” She said awkwardly. She took a gulp of venom and gathered the courage to remove her pants. She slid them over her hips and down her legs with ease. She stepped out of the pants and lifted her button down over her head with courage. 

It was suddenly apparent why the vampire had been to apprehensive. A large, thick scar ran from the bottom of her chest to below the line of her panties. It divided her body at its midline in a way that seemed almost purposeful. Rosalie didn’t have to ask to know it was related to her past trauma and her turning. She eyed it quickly, not letting her eyes rest upon it too long.

“Well? Are we getting in or not?” The blonde said with a jump as she landed in the cool water. 

Bella was grateful that she had not asked about her scar, she made her comfortable. She was grateful for a woman like her in her life. She had never felt more normal or human. If only she had known someone like her when she was human.

Lounging by the stream, Rosalie was able to see Bella for who she truly was. Bella was comfortable enough to show her the true skin of a Vampire, sparkling like thousands of tiny diamonds. Rosalie told her she was beautiful. Almost gawking at her display.

Rosalie had an occasional date with Royce; her mother was overjoyed with each. The Hale’s had Royce over to dinner a couple times, and he surprised her with flowers a time or two. By the end of the summer he seemed to be coming around more, surprising her at home with gifts.

July rolled around and the heat was in full force. Bella spent a couple nights a week taking Rosalie out, they no longer had school holding them back and her family was very comfortable with her. The two of them had become comfortable in their secret relationship, playing the part in front of Rosalie’s family.

One night, Bella had taken Rosalie to see the latest movie; they had stopped to get ice cream on the way home. The couple arrived home to the blonde’s a little later than usual, but they were having such a good time they hadn’t noticed. Rosalie chimed with her laugh as Bella pulled up to her street. She loved the way she made her laugh.

The vampire pulled into a spot in front of the Hale house pausing when she shut off her car to take in the sight of the human before her. Her long loose golden locks flowed around her shoulder; the waves so perfect she wished she had a picture. Her eyes sparkled under the moon light; her lips pulled back over her brilliant smile. Her bright eyes were on Bella. 

For a moment they stared into each other’s eyes. A heart full of emotion swelled within Bella as she peered into the only person, she would dare say she had ever loved. As she saw this girl, she could truly say that she did love her, but those words would never leave her lips. Fear can be a very strong and crippling emotion. Her fear of rejection, the past and the future halted the words threatening to pour out.

She did the only thing she knew to do, the only thing that would substitute those words. She leaned forward, hesitating for a brief pause before touching her lips to her affection. The blonde was more than happy to reciprocate her touch, moving her lips against Bella’s passionate gesture. Bella put all of herself, all of her emotion into her embrace. 

Time was endlessly abundant to Bella. However, as much time she had, it was fleeting. Each moment she shared with the blonde was worth a hundred without her. No, a thousand, easily. She often pondered the possibility of pausing and reliving precious moments with this girl. If she could, she would have kept this and relieved it every day. How she wished she could halt time and stay in that moment forever.

Just as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Their lips parted and the blonde was giving her a smile and a good-bye. Bella watched with a heavy heart as she walked inside, hoping for more nights like the one they had just had.

What Bella failed to notice, what she failed to see in her excitement, was an older woman peering out of the window of the Hale house. Mrs. Hale watched in surprise as her daughter passionately kissed her friend. Her jaw slack and her hand clenched to her chest. She wasn’t sure how to react; she wasn’t sure what to do. Her world crashed down around itself at the sight of her daughter. That would simply not stand.


	16. Harder Than Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever experienced a time when it felt like the carpet was lifted out from under you? Like you had been a fool for not seeing things as they were, or as they would turn out? I think this chapter is about just that. Its about hoping with everything in you, allowing yourself to act upon it. It’s also about lost hope, about those moments when you feel that all the oxygen has just been sucked from the air. The stinging of your eyes when you feel the tears form. Its heavy but its life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers! I have appreciated all of you comments and kind words! I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for staying with this story. I do appreciate your reviews and comments, no matter how small. I am afraid you may not have kind words after this chapter, but as I have said all along, this is a three-part series. Things can’t be easy. Anyways, hang in there and enjoy life. Cheers.

Rosalie lay in her bed on her stomach with her legs crossed, bobbing her foot up and down as she read a magazine. She had slept in that day and decided to occupy her time by the light-hearted activity. She played a Billie holiday album that Bella had shown her. 

Ordinarily she would not have known about such a great artist, her parents preferred ‘lighter’ options like Benny Goodman. Bella had introduced her to jazz, and she was loving every bit of it. She only played such records in the comfort of her own room, and when her mother was out. 

That morning when she went downstairs, she found a note from her mother letting her know she would be at the store. Since that time, she had grabbed a snack and resolved to have the day to herself. 

She didn’t hear her mother arrive home; she had her music up louder than she would if anyone were home. As she lay there bobbing her foot casually her door swung open. A stern Mrs. Hale was in its place. Instinctively, Rosalie sat up and shoved her magazine to her side; she wished she could turn off the record with her mind. She had no such ability. She shared a brief stare with her mother, her eyes followed her mother’s to the spinning record. 

“What is this trash?” Her mother pointed at her record player, which sat atop of a table Bella had made for her.

“It’s Billie Holiday, she is an African American jazz artist.”

“We do not play Jazz in this house. Honestly…” She crossed her arms as her face became even more severe. “I do not know what has gotten into you! I have not raised you this way.” 

“To appreciate multiple forms of music, mother?” Rosalie tested her mother. Her courage was more robust than normal.

“Do. Not. Talk. To. Me. With. That. Tone.” Her mother pronounced each word as if it were its own sentence. 

“Mother, I just got this from Bella and I…” Her mother cut her off with a scoff.

“Do not mention that name anymore.” Her words slithered off her tongue like they were meant to poison. “You are not to see that deviant.” She growled with emotion. 

Rosalie wasn’t sure what to do in that moment. Her jaw was slack as she stared at her ranting mother. She waited to respond to her mother, trying to decipher what had changed.

“Bella is a good person. She has never done anything but help our family and me, what is the problem with her?”

“You think I am stupid? That I don’t know what happens between you two? You think that I don’t know what sort of perverted acts you partake in?” She said with her finger pointed at her daughter’s face. Her own face was contorted in such a way that she looked years older.

Tears began to fall from Rosalie’s eyes. She tried to be strong; she tried so hard not to cry. Her mother knew about her, her mother knew about her darkest secret. Her fantasy world was ruined.

“I will not stay away from her, mother!” She said with her head bowed, tears falling from her eyes.

“Excuse me?” Her mother was astonished. Rosalie lifted her head; her face was deformed as she cried heavier.

“I am going away with her; we are going to university!” She stated as a matter of fact.

“I will have you committed! I will not hesitate, you stupid, insolent child!”

“You wouldn’t, not if it meant hurting your precious image.” She stood up and shouted at her mother. The older woman walked closer to her, like a predator stalking its prey.

“I will. Do not test me, girl. You will not defy me. You will choose to put this nonsense behind you. You will choose the future that I have worked so hard to give you. You will choose to stay and be with Royce.” She commanded.

“I do not love him!”

“Love has no meaning, you stupid girl. Love will not keep you warm at night. Love will not put dinner on the table. Love is for fairytales and heartache.”

“So, I can be like you?”

“So, you can have it better than me! Is that so terrible?” The younger blonde bowed her head and cried more. Her despair thickened the air in the air of the room. Mrs. Hale watched as her daughter sobbed.

Her mother eased in her expression. Her anger seemed to wash away as she realized the sacrifices she had made in her own life. Her mind reflected on the summer passion she had shared when she was young. Her mother had talked sense into her; her life had been better for it. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to Rosalie with a softer approach.

“This is what is best for you. You cannot have the life you want with her. It is immoral but also unacceptable to society. I will not have a daughter who lives that way. Royce can offer you everything, a life of luxury. He will be good to you. 

-X-

Bella came to pick up Rosalie for what she thought was one of their river visits. Bella had just finished their apartment the previous weekend was busting at the seams to surprise her with it. She decided that she would take her to New York instead of their river spot. 

As she approached her normal spot on the curb of the house, she put the car in park. She fixed her hair and checked her lipstick, making sure she was perfect for the woman she was convinced was out of her league. In the passenger seat was a small bouquet of flowers, a simple gesture she often offered. It never got old.

She would blind fold her when they got to the apartment, bring her inside and reveal her handy work. Rosalie still didn’t know Bella had purchased a home; only that she had a few apartments that were contenders for them. She had spent most of her free time restoring the brownstone two-story apartment. 

She tore out all the ugly thin carpet that plagued the place, sanded and refinished the beautiful wood underneath into a walnut color. The banister and stairs were done in the same fashion, as well as the build in bookshelves and mantel. She ripped out the kitchen to the bones and made it bigger. She dedicated one of the five bedrooms to be a closet and boudoir for the Blonde and set up her own bedroom next door. 

The upstairs sitting and reading room was packed with books, some of Rosalie’s favorites and other’s Bella’s. In the corner near the window stood a brand-new top of the line cello and chair. She had envisioned Rosalie playing music while she read. Everything about the place oozed charm, it embraced Bella’s visions of their future together. She took each detail and catered it to their liking. Now it had come time to show her what she had accomplished.

She came to the door to greet the blonde’s mother, bringing her some of Esme’s brownies. The older woman was polite but gave her a curt smile. The vampire followed the woman to the kitchen, not thinking to deeply into her cold demeanor. When was the woman not a little crisp around the edges? She had been thinking about the end of summer and New York all day. In her excitement she had poor judgment and mentioned college to the older woman.

“So, are you excited for our grand new adventure? I sure am.” Bella asked as she put down the plate of brownies on the kitchen counter.

“The river, dear?” She said asked casually without looking up from her task of dinner preperation.

“Oh, no, Mrs. Hale, I mean University. You must be so proud!” 

“Whatever do you mean?” The woman stopped arranging the items on the counter to look Bella in the eyes. “I am aware of your choice. I can’t say that I completely agree, but to each his own.” She shrugged.

“You…you aren’t excited for Rose…”

“Ahm.” The sound of a throat clearing was heard from the doorway. Rosalie was standing in its opening awkwardly. She appeared as though she couldn’t decide what to do with her own arms. She decided on taking a step further and tentatively placing her hand on the counter. She thought she might need to steady herself. Her heartbeat rapidly in her chest.

This was not how she wanted the conversation to happen. Her mother was downright cruel to bring it up without giving her a chance to tell her. She hoped it was a bad dream.

“Oh, hello dear.” She said over her shoulder to her daughter. “Now, I am not sure what you are talking about. I am beyond enthused about my Rose, but not for any school or whatever you speak of. My dear is going to be a Mrs..” She said reaching for her daughter’s hand on the counter next to her. She patted it enthusiastically.

“I…” Rosalie choked on her own words.

“Mrs?” 

Bella felt all of the world crash down on her in that moment. Her dead lungs seemed to need air. Her throat burned and her body cramped. The pit of her stomach felt as if it was filled with acid. She could have sworn she felt a pulse beat harshly in her neck, though that wasn’t true.

“Excuse me.” Bella said softly as she left quickly. She nudged past the blonde before she had a chance to stop her.

Mrs. Hale appeared to be in shock, not understanding what she had said. She looked around behind her after Bella. Within seconds the brunette was moving out the front door. Rosalie pushed her body off the counter to chase after Bella as fast as she could. A loud slam of the door sounded as Rosalie rushed out of the house.

The Vampire was crouched on the grass with her knees bent; hands over her head, she was catching her breath. Her rib cage moved heavily in and out as her face showed panic. Her fingers weaved into her hair as she threatened to pull on the strands. Her body felt the need for release. Her perfect body would never give her the release she needed. Tears would never fall from her eyes, no matter how much she wished she could let them out. The pressure in her chest would only continue to be unbearable.

Rosalie sailed out over the stairs of the porch and landed on the walkway. She called out to the brunette; distress evident in her voice. At this Bella was up and moving to her car almost too fast for any human. She was in the driver seat and starting the car before Rosalie could reach her.

“Wait, wait, wait wait…” Rosalie all but clawed at the sides of the car as Bella pulled away. Tears streamed down the Blondes face as she pleaded for her to stop. “I don’t love him!’ She called out as she began to lose her grip on the car. “Bella!” 

She lost her grip and Bella pulled away from her. Each foot of distance was a dagger to the blonde’s heart. She ran as fast as she could to keep up with her convertible. She was only a human. She was a silly stupid human. One who could not be brave enough to stand firm and choose the one she loved. 

Her legs began to give; they could only run so fast for so long. At the end of her street she stumbled to a stop. She watched the car containing the girl she loved fade around the corner. She knelt over as the stress on her body became too much to bare. Her lungs burned for her to relax. Her insides screamed. 

After she caught her breath for a moment she set out for her own house once again. She went as fast as her legs could handle; she knew this could be the end for them. This could be her last chance to tell her the truth. Her shinny bicycle was parked on the side of her house; she quickly kicked the stand and mounted the thing. 

How could she be so easily persuaded; how could she be so indecisive? She had known what made her happy. She most certainly did not love Royce. The pressure of her life crippled her, a Hale. She had never known a life without expectations; her life had been duty. She had won the affections of the most eligible bachelor in all of New York, but at what cost?

He had proposed on their last outing that weekend. Just the day after her mother’s talk and there it was. In a moment of pressure, she had agreed. He promised her so much. He seemed to be caring and kind. He offered for her to do as she wished as long as she was there to greet him when he was home. She could have her education during the day and her family in the evening. She could have it all. Isn’t that what she had wanted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Check out City and Colour. They produced the chapter title song and are among my top three favorite bands.


	17. Ain't No Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the beginning of a tortuous relationship. Fallen leaves and wedding bells bring change into the young Rosalie's life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, well, well...Here we are. The last chapter. I received many kind words from you all, thank you. I hope you have enjoyed the first part of this series and that you come back for more when I start publishing the next work in the series! Please let me know what you think, let me know of unanswered questions you have, or wishes. I have written book two but I am making edits now. Thank you for your continued support!

Tears fell behind her as she rode towards the Cullen house. Her legs burned from the strain she gave them. Her hair became disheveled from the wind and her cheeks red from the summer heat. 

She hopped off her bike in one fluid motion as she hit the Cullen’s lawn. Her bike came to a crashing halt behind her. Her body flew up the stairs and her fists beat against the door. She repeated her thunderous beating on the door until Esme answered. 

Esme was still wearing the feelings of her shock. Bella had indeed been there. Rosalie pushed past Esme in an effort to get to her. She had to tell her that she wanted her. She had to tell her she was sorry for ever considering a life with him. 

She busted in the door to Bella’s room to find nothing. No clothes, no books, no pictures. No Bella. 

“Bella? Bella?” She shouted desperately. She frantically opened each bedroom door in search of her. “Bella? I need to…” Esme followed her trying to calm her, trying to tell her. She collapsed to her knees at the top of the stairs; her hand clutched the banister as she sank. Tears flowed freely without shame. “I need to tell you...”

Esme laid a hand on her shoulder as she sank to the floor along with her. She rubbed circles into her shoulders and joined her in her sadness. After the blonde had caught her breath, when desperation became heartbreak, Esme spoke.

“Dear, she is gone. “ 

“I love her.” Rosalie spoke through sorrow, through her tears.

“I’m so sorry. She loved you, I know she did.”

“I have to find her…I have to go after her.” She said lifting her eyes to meet gold.

“I do not know where she has gone. She was here and gone so fast. She does not want to be found right now.”

“She needs to know. She needs to know that I want her.” 

-X-

As quickly as summer had come, it was gone. With fall almost all the evidence of summer faded. The leaves, the summer heat and the hope of Bella’s return. Rosalie succumbed to the ever-growing pressure for her to pick a wedding date. Her mother had disagreed with her choice, but she had begun college in Rochester at the Eastman School of Music. Her fiancé was supportive of her choice, but thought little of her education. 

She had fallen into her own routine. Every day she would wake early and write a letter in her diary. Every morning she thought of her. She rode her bike to college as she did in high school. She kept her cello at the school and practiced for long hours after school had ended. Music could offer her the only escape.

Royce’s presence had grown stronger. He had bought a house in town, one for them to live in once they had tied the knot. His life style became clearer and clearer as he spent more time with her. He carried a small silver flask with brandy everywhere they went, taking sips on a regular basis. 

He became unhappy with the move, missing his hometown just three cities over. He worked often, but was not a hard worker. His father had entrusted him with very little responsibility but a large salary. He spent most of his working hours entertaining clients and partying. This part of his life was not shown to his bride to be, his life with her had become his alter ego.

She had almost broken off the marriage just after new year’s when he had swung by her school one evening as she was leaving. His natural odor had become a mix of old spice and brandy. His smell invaded her nostrils as she greeted him. His hair was a mess and his eyes were lazy. 

“My bride to be.” He said as he sat in the driver’s seat of his running car. He had pulled up to her grabbing her bike off the rack. 

“Hello Royce, are you alright?” She questioned with concern.

“I’m better than alright! Get in!” He patted the seat on the passenger’s side.

“I have my bicycle; I can ride it home.” She said bundled up.

“It’s freezing! Get in.” 

She thought for a moment. Her gut instinct told her not to get in, but her will was weak. She opened the door and got in. The smell of brandy was even stronger than before. 

“Why don’t you let me drive?” She said insistently.

“Hah, I assure you I can drive far better than any woman, no matter how much of this stuff I have.” He scoffed and shook his flask.

“I think I should ride my bike home. I will see you tomorrow. Sober.”

She reached for the handle; she would not be insulted by a drunk. He quickly reached over her and locked the door. She pushed his hand out of the way but he grabbed her wrist with one hand and pulled her neck towards him with the other. Her body involuntarily leaned towards his hot breath. 

“Such a tease, my Rose. You have kept me waiting far too long.” He said into her ear. She struggled against him.

“Royce!” She said as she used all of her strength to pull away. She managed to get the door handle to release. She pushed against him and escaped his flailing arms to run for her bike. He fumbled with his door but caught up to her as she made it to her bike.

He grabbed her shoulders and she shrieked. He shook her and bruised her arms under his grip. His greased hair fell into his sweaty face as his brow furrowed under his rage. He gritted his teeth and stared into her with black eyes.

“Rose!” He said as he shook her violently. His heavy breath made a fog in the air.

“Stop!”

“Let’s see what you have waiting for me, huh?” He said as he turned her back to his chest. His right arm wrapped around her neck and chest as his left crept up her dress. She stomped on his foot and elbowed his side. Her head jammed into his lip as he reacted. He doubled over and she broke free. She grabbed her bike and began to run with her handlebars clasped.

“Rrrrose!” His voice barked out gruffly. He wiped blood from his lip and jumped at her, grabbing for her bike. She had swung her leg over the bike in the same instant and jolted forward. He missed her as she sped right out of his fingers. “Rose!” He shouted in rage.

She held up in her room for three days. Her mother pleaded with her to tell her what happened. When she did her mother was less sympathetic than she would have hoped for.

“These things happen when you take too long to fulfill a man’s needs. I told you the wedding should have been this fall.” She shook her head.

After her mom knew, the pressure to contact him or forgive him became unbearable. He had sent her three-dozen roses and an apology letter. He attributed his action to a bad day and over consumption of alcohol. She deliberated but once again crippled under the pressure of her family to marry him. They kept their spring date for their ceremony.

Despite her circumstances, it was a beautiful ceremony. Her father walked her down the aisle and her mother smiled brightly as she watched from the first pew. It seemed as if most of the town had shown up, the endeavor could not be outdone. She had invited the Cullen’s, the ones who remained. Esme gave her a hug and a sad knowing smile, but wished her the best in her marriage.

The reception was similar to any other large wedding. There was music, dancing, cake and a decent meal. The Cullen’s made an appearance but decided to leave before the toasts. Rosalie noticed the clan get up to leave. She let her new husband know of her need for fresh air and departed after them.

“Esme!” Rosalie called out as she broke free of the heavy reception door. The vampire turned, her husband’s arm wrapped around her shoulder and Edward to her side. The blonde picked up her dress and rushed over to them in a half jog.

“I had hoped we would have more time. I needed to give you this. In case she comes back. I need her to know.” She said as she handed the vampire an envelope. The white paper was stuffed and bowed out on the sides before it curved up to its seal. 

“Thank you dear, I will give it to her when I see her.” She turned to walk away.

“Have you?” She blurted her question out, stopping the vampire again.

The brunette did not turn to face her. She remained frozen in her place. Rosalie could see the expression on Carlisle’s face and knew the answer. Edward did not look up from the ground below, his face sour.

“You have. I see.” The blonde’s shoulder sunk slightly. Esme turned to face her once more.

“She is strong in many ways. She is brilliant, funny and kind. She is many things, but she is not impenetrable. She does not care easily.” She paused in thought. “I wish you the very best. I promise I will give her this the next time I see her.” 

In the blink of an eye they were gone. She was left standing there, alone. The breeze flowed through her hair; a single tear fell from her eye. One might say that she had everything she had ever wanted. The life she obtained was a shell, a lifeless impression of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. In the interim between books I have started posting my first fan fiction I wrote for Rosella. I wrote it between 2017 and 2018. Its a little less polished but hopefully it brings you joy.


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